Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jasen MorenoGarcia | 230608-N-LN093-1021 (June 8, 2023) Felson sisters Tita, Kailan, and Tyra (from left to...... read more read more
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (June 12, 2023) – “I joined the Navy to travel and experience the world,” said one of the three sisters. The other two replied, almost in perfect synchrony, “Us too!” These statements were uttered with contagious laughter and giggles, showcasing their excitement to start a new chapter in their lives.
The three Felson sisters, Kailan, Tyra, and Tita, departed for Recruit Training Command Great Lakes (the U.S. Navy boot camp) on June 12, 2023. The sisters are natives of Church Rock, a small town inside the Navajo Nation territory and near Gallup, New Mexico.
Kailan Felson, the oldest of the three sisters, mentioned that she moved to Albuquerque, N.M. after graduating high school. Her goal was to attend community college and study to become an automotive technician. Unfortunately, she was forced to move back home, to Church Rock, due to issues with her living arrangements in Albuquerque.
“So I came back here, said Kailan. “I came back home, and then I started working at Wal-Mart for, like, three years. One day I just kind of woke up because we had a little party for someone that worked there for five years and all they gave him was a certificate [of appreciation]. After that, I knew I didn’t want to do that. I didn't want to just waste five years for a certificate. I quit working there to focus on passing the ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery]. When I finally passed it, I joined the Navy.”
Kailan also mentioned that her sisters, Tita and Tyra, deserve all the credit for helping her study for the ASVAB and keeping her motivated with her goal of joining the Navy.
“At first we were just focused on her getting in, helping her study for the test, and pushing her to not give up, said Tita. “We would tell her that Walmart is just a job and it is always going to be there. You need to go, like, you don't want to stay here.”
Every time Kailan went to the recruiting station Tita, the youngest of the three, would tag along to keep her company and help with the drive. The closest recruiting station to them, Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) Albuquerque, is two hours away from their home. Tita was there during every interaction her sister had with Navy recruiters. Listening to everything the service has to offer.
“One day we came back home from the recruiting station and she [Tita] told me she needed to talk to me,” said Kailan. “She said, ‘I think I want to try it [the Navy] too’. I was shocked because she’s my little sister. I was expecting it to come from my sister Tyra, but not really from Tita because she's a girly girl.”
“I joined the Navy to travel and experience new cultures,” said Tita Felson. “I want to continue my education and get a dental degree. I want to challenge myself. People didn't expect me to join the military because I am a girly girl and the youngest. They thought I would be in college, so it was shocking to them when they heard I was joining the Navy. I just want to try something new, like, take a different path, you know, I felt like I need more than just be in school.”
Tita also said that she didn’t want to end up like most of her friends from high school.
“Most of my high school friends are stuck, said Tita. “They don’t know what to do. Most didn't want to go to college or anything else. They just work and that's all they do. If they ask me about joining [the Navy] I will say to challenge themselves and join, that they can also do it. To join if they don't want to be stuck in Gallup and want to travel the world.”
Inspired by her younger sister Tita’s decision to join the Navy, Tyra Felson decided to look into the benefits the service offers. Ultimately, deciding to follow her sister’s lead and join too.
“I have a really strong bond with Tita,” said Tyra. “Wherever Tita goes, I will follow. We never thought she would go to the Navy and I got inspired. I told myself, if she is doing that, I can do it too. I also joined [the Navy] because of the experience that I can get out of it, the benefits, and traveling. You just don't know where life is going to take you. So, might as well go for it. Because we are just stuck by mountains and dirt, mostly no one here really talks about visiting other parts of the world. All we hear about is just the four corners. People just go to Nevada, California, Colorado, and Arizona. But we never heard of anybody who visited Canada, South Korea, or even visit Hawaii and come back here. Everything we know about the world outside Gallup, we see in movies or pictures. I want to experience it too.”
The sisters mentioned that when they told their family about their decision to enlist in the Navy, their grandpa, an Army veteran, was not happy with their decision as, based on his experience, the military can be very tough.
“He told us that we shouldn't have joined because when he joined, it was really hard for him, said Tita. “He wanted us to follow another path in our life. Our grandma actually told him ‘It's their life. It's their choice. And if that is the path they want to follow, let them.’ I was happy to hear her say that.”
Originally, Kailan was slated to leave for boot camp alone. When her sisters decided to join, NRS Albuquerque recruiters helped coordinate for all three sisters to leave the same day. The hope is for the sisters to graduate on the same day so their family members can celebrate them in a single trip.
NRS Albuquerque is part of Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Phoenix. NTAG Phoenix’s area of responsibility includes more than 37 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations spread throughout 250,000 square miles of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2023 17:30 |
| Story ID: | 447335 |
| Location: | GALLUP, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Hometown: | ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Hometown: | CHURCH ROCK, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Hometown: | GALLUP, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Web Views: | 1,662 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Navajo Nation Sisters Join the U.S. Navy to Experience the World, by PO1 Jasen MorenoGarcia, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
