Representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force Academies were in Rapid City last weekend at the invitation of US Senator Mike Rounds. SDPB’s Jim Kent attended “Military Academy Day” at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He spoke with academy representatives, high school students and parents about the decision to combine the rigors of the military with a college education.
Making the decision of what college to attend can weigh heavily on any teenager’s mind. Opting for one of the nation’s military academies as the next step on your educational path is a choice that requires serious investigation and planning by any student.
Capt. Ann Kubera answers questions about the U.S. Naval Academy. Since high school grades and extracurricular activities are significant in the application process, Kubera says it’s never too early for a student to prepare for applying to the academies.
“We don’t get a lot of applicants from South Dakota,” Kubera explains. “And with a population of less than a million… you’re not going to have as many who are interested or can even qualify to come to the naval academy as you would in New Jersey or Maryland.”
That, notes Kubera, can be an advantage since it also makes competition for entry much less of a factor than in densely populated regions.
As for the benefits of a military academy education, US Army Maj. Wade Smith points out that cadets at West Point get paid while they attend and have a guaranteed job along with no student loans when they graduate.
“It’s also one of the most prestigious institutions in America,” Smith advises. “And that extends to the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy.”
As well as the Coast Guard and Merchant Marine academies.
Fourteen-year old Maddie Neely is among the dozen students at the gathering. Although it’s early in the game, she’s considering West Point.
“My uncle went to West Point and he was telling me about it,” Maddie replies. “And I’m just interested in it.”
And what does she think so far?
“I like challenges,” Maddie advises. “I like being challenged, and…”
And Maddie isn’t intimidated by what would be a very demanding curriculum.
Austin Lentsch is a senior at T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre. The 17-year old is here to get more information on the nation’s military academies, but says he’s pretty much made his decision.
“At this point I’m leaning more towards West Point,” Austin notes. “For several reasons. My father enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces with the National Guard and then besides that it was just, you know, it was like home when I went up to West Point…and I knew that that was kind of…it seemed like what I wanted to do with my future.”
And though some of his friends have questioned his choice of the military as a career, Austin observes that many have a distorted view of who joins the military and why.
“You know, my response to that is you aren’t going into it because your physique dictates that that’s what you want to do,” Austin comments. “You’re going into the military because you wish to be a leader for troops and for your country…and you wish to make a positive impact. And I think that…especially with the National Guard, we’re starting to kind of see that…that just because someone’s in the armed forces it doesn’t necessarily always mean going out and fighting and…and killing people. Because…there’s…it’s a lot deeper than that.”
That’s a reasoning mothers have a hard time accepting. Kari Kadrmas is the mother of a recent Naval Academy graduate who’s now a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Kadrmas is concerned about her son’s service to his country and the dangers involved with it. But she quotes author Eric Greitens in noting that as much as the world needs missionaries, it also needs military personnel to make the world safe for missionaries to do their work.
Interested students need to send in their applications to the academies of their choice by October 1. Sen. Rounds regularly hosts Military Academy Days in Pierre, Sioux Falls and in Rapid City.
http://www.westpoint.edu/SitePages/Home.aspx