LAKELAND, Fla. – Three future Sailors will be taking their oath of enlistment during a joint ceremony held at the Lakeland Sun N Fun Aerospace Expo at 12:45pm on April 4, 2025.
Future Sailors Jayce Jimenez, Johnnyel Moyetgonzales, and Samuel Riggins, along with enlistees from other branches of the military, will take their oath of enlistment in front of friends, family, and expo attendees.
“I think it will be exciting,” said Samuel Riggins, one of the future Sailors swearing in tomorrow. “I am most excited for my little brother, Ian, to be there.”
This will be Riggins’ first visit to a Lakeland Sun N Fun Aerospace Expo.
The expo’s organizers, Sun N Fun Fly-In, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that raises funding for The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE). The expo goes from April 1-6 and is Sun N Fun Fly-In, Inc.’s largest fundraiser for ACE’s 25-acre, 11 building campus dedicated to aerospace and STEM education.
Riggins said that his parents and youngest brother will accompany him. He adds that his father, a Navy Veteran Aviation Boatswain’s Mate, has been an inspiration to him and his decision to join.
“My dad served for a couple of years in the Navy and knows a lot about planes,” said Riggins. “I want to serve my country too. Also, I am not completely sure what I want to do for a career so I am hoping that the Navy helps me figure that out, gain job experience and life skills.”
Family and public support can motivate the future Sailors who will soon depart to boot camp and embark on their Naval careers, according to Chief Navy Counselor (Recruiter) Chanel Thomas, recruiter in charge at Navy Recruiting Station Brandon, Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Miami.
“This opportunity will give these future Sailors a sense of pride,” said Thomas. “These public oath of enlistment ceremonies also help them realize the magnitude of their commitment in the eyes of their community. They will recognize that they are now a part of something bigger than themselves.”
NTAG Miami has 38 recruiting locations throughout South Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, with the combined mission to recruit the highest caliber Sailors to meet the needs of the fleet.
Want to take to the sky? Fly Navy - your flight begins here: https://www.navy.com/contact-us/find-a-recruiter
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2025 21:30 |
| Story ID: | 494546 |
| Location: | LAKELAND, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | BRANDON, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | MIAMI, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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