Shipmates helping shipmates.(Speaking with Sailors)

For the past few years approximately 32 million Americans have been of prime recruiting age for military service. Of that 32 million, about 6 million meet military eligibility standards. Of that 6 million, the Navy only selects about 40,000 volunteers a year. That means less than .125 percent of recruiting-age Americans are welcomed into the service to wear our uniform and represent themselves, their family, those who have served before and their nation. With that privilege comes responsibility.

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Our junior Sailors--both officer and enlisted--are our dominant number, so to maintain a dominant force, we need to use their numbers to sustain a …