Army Reserve welcomes 18 locals to force

The U.S. Army Reserve successfully recruited another 18 individuals from Saipan and Tinian, officially welcoming them to the U.S. Department of the Army with a ceremony Friday at the House of Representatives chamber on Capital Hill.

The newly enlisted recruits were sworn in by Maj. Edward Camacho—also Department of Public Safety commissioner—in front of family members, friends, and leaders of the Legislature.

“It’s been like a dream of mine ever since I was 6 to be in the Army,” said 17-year-old Jeffrey Isaac. “Now that I’m in, I feel good, really good.”

Joining Isaac in taking their oaths were Michael Acquiningoc, Quirino Aquino, Melissa E. Barcinas, Larry Buniag, Anthony Leon Guerrero, Augustin Evangelista, Marsha J. Faisao, Robert Lieto, Donald D. Lumagai, Gerard Naputi, Charles Nicholas, Don Omar, Jack LG Pangelinan, Edison Sabino, Thomas Santos, Michael Senior, and Eliezer Uchel.

According to Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Cooper, the recruits would now wait for word, expected within this month, on when they would leave for Basic Training.

“Some will go to Fort Benning, Georgia, some to Fort Knox Kentucky, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and do their basic training, which would span about nine weeks,” he said.

After completing their Basic Training, each would continue to the Advanced Individual Training, which Cooper said may relocate them to anywhere in the U.S. in which an Army base is established.

Approximately 50 to 75 people from Saipan join the Army every year. For the first time, all aspects of testing were conducted on Saipan.

The mental evaluation—the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test—is conducted on island every month. However, past recruits were required to take a physical examination at the Naval Hospital on Guam. This time around, though, Cooper said the Army Reserve brought its medical staff from Hawaii to conduct the physicals on island to shorten the process of recruiting from the area.

“It’s a long process. [For Saipan and Tinian] it takes anywhere between a month to six months to get somebody in the Army because of the testing process,” he said. “This is the first time that we actually brought in our medical staff.”

The medical team conducted the physical exams at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Puerto the past week.

A special exception was also made during this particular recruiting process, as individuals who “got close to the qualifying score” we taken into consideration and were recruited.

Although not able to confirm when the next enlistment will be held, Cooper said more would be on the way.

Others present who accompanied Cooper from Guam were 1st Sgt. Oly Magofna, Sgt. 1st Class Albert Abadam, and Sgt. Feli Benavente.

Several local reservists recently left for training in preparation for a one-year deployment to Iraq. The Reserve forces will undergo six months of intensive military training in Hawaii, Fort Bliss in Texas, and Fort Polk in Louisiana, before they are actually deployed to Iraq until up to February 2006.

They were activated in response to calls by the Pentagon for U.S. Army Reserve forces to reinforce depleted missions in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

The CNMI soldiers form part of the 29th Separate Infantry Brigade, which also includes troops from Guam, Hawaii, American Samoa, California, and Oregon.

Meanwhile, Abadam disclosed that the next ASVAB test would be held on Sept. 24 and 25 at the U.S. Army Reserve Center.

The Sept. 24 test begins at 4pm, while the next testing is scheduled for 8am. Both are open to individuals who are 17-34 years of age and are citizens of the United States, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, or is a permanent resident.

Interested individuals must bring a picture I.D.

For more information, contact SFC. Carnate at 671-687-3640 or SSG. Fernandez at 671-687-3940.