HARDIN — Family and friends gathered at the Hardin Historic Train Depot on Sunday to celebrate and send off Jadyss Hugs as she prepares to depart for boot camp.

“She’s told us since she was 16 that this is what she wanted to do," said Trixy Bird Chief, Jadyss' mother.

On Tuesday, Jadyss will head to Chicago where she will begin her journey toward becoming a Navy quartermaster.

"It goes everywhere, and it recycles itself. There’s just something peaceful about the ocean," said Jadyss.

Though she's trying to avoid having expectations, she said she knows she has a unique experience ahead of her as a Native American woman in the military.

“Different ethnic groups fight a different battle, and I think it's just kind of ingrained in us as a society," said Isaiah Hugs, Jadyss' father.

Indigenous peoples account for more than 9,000 members across the armed forces, the highest enlistment rate per capita of any ethnicity according to the U.S. Army Reserve.

“We have a warrior ethos and a warrior tradition that carries on through our battles against the calvary and fighting for our homelands," said Les Bird Chief, Jadyss' step-father, a Marine Corps veteran who spent eight years mostly combating Somali pirates and was involved in the rescue of captain Richard Phillips in 2009.

What the U.S. Navy will gain, however, a family will lose while Jadyss is away.

“Indian people, the eldest children (are) almost like a third parent – and I’m gonna miss having that support," said Cyra Plain Feather, Jadyss' cousin who noted the two have a more sisterly dynamic.

Jadyss hopes to leave wisdom in her place while she is away during her military career.

“There’s always a brighter light at the end of the tunnel … I hope to leave that with all my siblings, ‘cause they’re so tiny right now," said Jadyss.