Three Class of 2012 D.M.D. students joined the Navy on Oct. 3 during a swearing-in ceremony witnessed by family, friends, fellow classmates, and faculty and staff from the UF College of Dentistry.
Dean Teresa Dolan said, “I am proud of all our dental students. But it takes that pride to a new level to watch them go above and beyond, taking the responsibility of serving our country and protecting those of us who do not serve in the military.”
Although the three students, Farid Hamidzadeh, Kevin Parekh, and Elizabeth Ross, took their oath together, joined the same branch of the service and will graduate together, each chose to join the Navy for different reasons.
Elizabeth Ross, from Jacksonville, Fla., says her father was her inspiration, “He is a retired Navy master chief, so it’s something I have always been interested in and I am excited by the opportunity it presents.”
Ross’ father also had the honor of swearing her in; while Dr. Boyd Robinson did the honors for Parekh and Hamidzadeh.
Parekh, whose mother is a dentist, grew up in Pensacola, Fla., home to a large portion of the Navy’s flight training program, “I always wanted to be a pilot and my mother knew several Navy dentists in the community. Joining the military gives me a chance to practice dentistry and pay my country back for the freedoms we enjoy.”
Parekh added that he still wants to be a pilot.
Hamidzadah, from Ft. Lauderdale, began to consider a career in the Navy about a year ago after seeing a news report on the high percentage of homeless who are military veterans, “I called the Navy recruiter. I want to have the opportunity to serve these people, and to practice dentistry in an environment that doesn’t take the financial issues into account.”
Congratulations to our new members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Navy Oath of Office
Having been appointed an (Ensign) in the United States Navy, I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.