More than 60 enlistees in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines took their oath of enlistment at the Our Community Salutes event Thursday at Skyview High School

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

Dozens of future leaders of America were honored Thursday night at Skyview High School at the Our Community Salutes ceremony, a chance for the community to say thank you to young men and women who have enlisted in the armed forces.

“At first it was because I was looking at a way to pay for college,” Zoey Thomas acknowledged about her initial motivation to enlist in the United States Army.

Soon, it became bigger than the chance to earn college tuition in the future..

“Now I think the opportunity means a lot more to me because I want to grow into a stronger person,” said Thomas, who has signed up to become a combat medic with the Army.

Daniel Infante, a senior at Prairie High School, is following in the footsteps of older sister Jaimie, enlisting in the United States Marines.

“She paved the way for me. She really inspired me,” Daniel said. 

He is shipping out to Camp Pendleton a couple months after after graduation. 

“Challenge always attracts me. I love a challenge. I want a challenge. I feel this will be better for me, my mental health, my physical health. That’s what drives me,” Infante said.

More than 60 enlistees in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, took their oath of enlistment in front of family, friends, and local leaders. The future military members are from Southwest Washington and the Portland area.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerney-Ogle was one of the guest speakers prior to the enlistees taking their oath. She said she and the rest of the city council are inspired by the enlistees.

“We as your city leaders appreciate you. We don’t just appreciate you, though. We also honor and admire what you stand for,” the mayor said. 

“From our position, we draw inspiration from the courage, faith, and resilience of your commitment to enlist. That’s why we honor you, we look up to you, and we thank you for this strength of character and humanity that you already display,” she said.

She also had a promise for the enlistees.

“We honor you today, and tomorrow, and every time you return home to us, we are your community,” the mayor said. “You are our future.”

Dr. Jeff Snell, superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools, thanked family and friends of the enlistees for playing a part in “helping these remarkable young people arrive at this moment today.”

He then had a message to the enlistees:

“Stay curious. Stay grounded. Learn from every experience. Whether you serve for a few years or you build a lifelong career, you will earn the title of veteran — a role of honor and respect in every community, and certainly ours,” Snell said. “We are proud of you. We believe in you. We can’t wait to see where your journey takes you.”

Sgt. Jacob Leckie of the United States Army, a 2020 graduate of Evergreen High School, is only five years older than many of the enlistees. He very much remembers what it was like to enlist. And now he has a few years of service.

“You chose a path not everyone is willing to take,” he said. “That decision deserves respect.”

Keep looking toward the long-term goal, he advised.

“There will be moments when you question yourself and that is ok so long as you keep pushing forward,” Leckie said. “Growth never comes easy. You will find strength in unexpected places. When you look back, whether it’s four years or 20, you will know that you did something that mattered.”

There were 14 Air Force enlistees honored at Thursday’s event.

“I didn’t want to go to college, and I didn’t want to sit on the couch after high school,” said Hunter Stevens of Castle Rock. “I just wanted to do something for my community and for the States.”

Stevens will be in air transportation with the Air Force.

There were 15 Navy enlistees.

“It feels very important. I feel pride,” said Adrian Martinez-Gonzalez of Mark Morris High School in Longview. “It’s going to be difficult, yes, but it’s something that will be worthwhile.”

He is going into the nuclear engineer field.

There were also 23 Marines and 13 Army enlistees honored. They all appreciated this salute.

“It was kind of a surprise to me to see how many people were coming here tonight,” Thomas said.

“Seeing everyone here was really a good thing,” Martinez-Gonzalez said.

The Our Community Salutes event has been part of Southwest Washington since 2011.