BOSTON - Airman Amber Enzler Belden, a native of Yakima, Washington, is one of more than 60 sailors celebrating America’s 249 years of independence while serving aboard USS Constitution, the Navy’s oldest commissioned warship.
Enzler Belden graduated from Eisenhower High School in 2023.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Yakima.
“I’ve always been an outgoing person, and I’ve always been able to talk to people,” Enzler Belden said. “I studied entrepreneurial marketing in high school, and I learned to give presentations, which helped me speak with people. We are always around a wide variety of people here. An estimated 5,000 people visit the Constitution every summer, and because of my background, I just click with the visitors here.”
Enzler Belden joined the Navy two years ago.
“I always wanted to join the military since the second grade, but at first, it was the Air Force,” Enzler Belden said. “Then I watched ‘Top Gun’ and decided to join the Navy because I always loved aviation.”
Launched from a Boston shipyard in October 1797, Constitution is the only surviving vessel of the Navy’s original six frigates and is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. The ship earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812 after British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull. Constitution was undefeated in battle and captured or destroyed 33 enemy vessels in its nearly 60 years of active service.
Now, 227 years after its launch, Constitution’s primary mission is education and outreach, welcoming more than 500,000 visitors aboard each year. Its crew of more than 60 sailors is hand-picked to preserve and protect Constitution, while promoting naval history, maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence. The ship’s original missions of defending American interests and protecting sea lanes to ensure commerce remain at the forefront of the Navy’s mission today.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Enzler Belden has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment is conducting 300 funerals and color guards across the state of Massachusetts and doing over 200 volunteer hours of community service,” Enzler Belden said.
Enzler Belden serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“I’m serving in the Navy to serve others,” Enzler Belden said. “I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I just want to help people. I’m also making my mom, Louise Enzler, proud by being the first woman in our family to serve in the armed forces.”
Enzler Belden is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my husband, Airman Riley Belden, an aviation electronics technician, currently stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,” Enzler Belden said. “We met here at this command and had some challenges at first, but we made it through, and we’ll finally be together again this upcoming July.”
Enzler Belden plans to continue their education to reach the goals they’ve set for their future.
“I am currently pursuing my bachelor’s degree in forensic science, and I also want to become a personal trainer, as physical fitness is a passion of mine,” Enzler Belden added.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James Green, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
Enzler Belden graduated from Eisenhower High School in 2023.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Yakima.
“I’ve always been an outgoing person, and I’ve always been able to talk to people,” Enzler Belden said. “I studied entrepreneurial marketing in high school, and I learned to give presentations, which helped me speak with people. We are always around a wide variety of people here. An estimated 5,000 people visit the Constitution every summer, and because of my background, I just click with the visitors here.”
Enzler Belden joined the Navy two years ago.
“I always wanted to join the military since the second grade, but at first, it was the Air Force,” Enzler Belden said. “Then I watched ‘Top Gun’ and decided to join the Navy because I always loved aviation.”
Launched from a Boston shipyard in October 1797, Constitution is the only surviving vessel of the Navy’s original six frigates and is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. The ship earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812 after British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull. Constitution was undefeated in battle and captured or destroyed 33 enemy vessels in its nearly 60 years of active service.
Now, 227 years after its launch, Constitution’s primary mission is education and outreach, welcoming more than 500,000 visitors aboard each year. Its crew of more than 60 sailors is hand-picked to preserve and protect Constitution, while promoting naval history, maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence. The ship’s original missions of defending American interests and protecting sea lanes to ensure commerce remain at the forefront of the Navy’s mission today.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Enzler Belden has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment is conducting 300 funerals and color guards across the state of Massachusetts and doing over 200 volunteer hours of community service,” Enzler Belden said.
Enzler Belden serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“I’m serving in the Navy to serve others,” Enzler Belden said. “I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I just want to help people. I’m also making my mom, Louise Enzler, proud by being the first woman in our family to serve in the armed forces.”
Enzler Belden is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my husband, Airman Riley Belden, an aviation electronics technician, currently stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,” Enzler Belden said. “We met here at this command and had some challenges at first, but we made it through, and we’ll finally be together again this upcoming July.”
Enzler Belden plans to continue their education to reach the goals they’ve set for their future.
“I am currently pursuing my bachelor’s degree in forensic science, and I also want to become a personal trainer, as physical fitness is a passion of mine,” Enzler Belden added.