Amid the bustle in the commons area at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon, community and military leaders from across the region, along with family members and friends, paused to honor nearly 75 newly enlisted service members during an induction ceremony on Nov. 9, 2026.
As she welcomed the group, Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty shared that her journey as an Army veteran, along with being married to a current Oregon National Guard member, has given her a deeply personal understanding of military service.
“It was one of the most important decisions in my life,” she said, recalling her apprehension before leaving for basic training. “But I can tell you it opened a door to a full life and an opportunity to be part of something bigger than yourself.”
Mayor Beaty revisited those early discoveries and anxieties that come with joining the military as she looked around the room at military recruiters, veterans, and family members gathered to share in the ceremony.
“Events like these allow us to acknowledge how important the support system is for our military service members.”
In her remarks while welcoming the group to Southridge High School, Principal Maria Copelan described her own experience as one of those nervous parents.
“I am a very serious mom, and I must say that allowing my son to follow his heart and join the Marines took me some time to be strong, strong enough to let him go,” Copelan said. “Here is what I know. My role as a mother of four, now adults, has taught me that when there is a fire and spirit inside a student that leads them in exciting directions and sometimes in dangerous directions, there is no way to release their spirit from it until they have actually walked those roads.”
The new enlistees wore T-shirts showing their chosen service branches and gathered in lively groups with others from their branch. They were starting to experience and understand what it means to be part of a team and a close-knit community in the Profession of Arms.
“It is my distinct privilege to welcome you, all of you who’ve joined, into military service,” said Brig. Gen. Russell Gibson, Assistant Adjutant General of the Oregon National Guard. “You now stand as a proud, unbroken lineage of citizens who have taken an oath to serve their communities and their country.”
Gibson described his early military service, which began in 1987 when he enlisted in the Navy as a medic. He later completed his Bachelor of Science at Arizona State University and received his commission through the Arizona Military Academy in 2000.
“I’m coming up on 40 years of service. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I honestly cannot think of a better way to spend my life than in service to our state and nation,” he said, describing the next step in their journey. “You trade in comfort for challenge, and ease for discipline. You will endure early-morning training days and the strict standards of initial and follow-on training. You have the opportunity to prove to the United States military that you have what it takes to transform from civilians into mission-ready service members in your respective service branch.”
After the welcoming remarks, the enlistees formed two long lines across the large commons area. They recited the Oath of Enlistment so their families could record the moment, moving in front of their sons and daughters as mobile devices lit up the room.
As they raised their right hands, Lt. Col. Reginald Parker, Commander of the Portland, Oregon, Military Entrance Processing Station, reminded them to shout their names during the “I state your name” portion of the oath so their family members could hear them.
“The military is much more than a job. It is an opportunity to develop not only as young men and women but to develop leadership skills, discipline, responsibility, and confidence that will grow over time,” Parker said, describing some of the opportunities military service offers. “You will travel throughout the United States and around the world, adding to a wealth of experiences that any employer would enjoy to have on the team.”
The idea for this ceremony stems from a similar event that Oregon Army National Guard Maj. Ian Beaty first learned about while talking with other National Guard members from Vancouver, Washington.
“I heard about a similar event for military appreciation. There’s a group called the Community Military Appreciation Committee, or CMAC, that honors military personnel, veterans, and first responders with recognition programs,” he said. “I think we could support something like this and help bring our community together as we recognize many of the new recruits in our area.”
Maj. Beaty, who is married to Mayor Lacey Beaty, hopes to hold similar ceremonies in the future, as early as next spring, and in different parts of the state so local media organizations can be invited to participate.
“We don’t have any active-duty bases in Oregon, and events like this allow us to introduce the next generation of military service members willing to step up and serve our country,” he said.
