The door in front of him seems to tower before him. With shaky hands, he turns the knob and steps over the threshold to take the test that will determine his future. He takes a deep breath, mentally preparing for the moment that will change his life forever. He sees his future clearly ahead of him— a future of service to his country.
Several students have recently signed with recruiters and will be going into various military branches upon graduating. Some students plan on going straight into training, while others have chosen the the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, program.
“There is no better feeling in this world than knowing that you are doing something with your life that ensures the security of the country,” senior Luke Lindamood said.
Lindamood has chosen to go into the Navy, specifically into the Navy nuclear power program. He will be working on military reactors, submarines and aircraft carriers. It has been his dream since childhood to join the military.
“Both of my grandfathers were in the airforce,” Lindamood said. “One of them spent four years in the force, my other grandpa spent twenty, and my mom was in six years as an officer in the army.”
Senior Matthew Henderson is going into the Marine Corps. He signed last summer in May, swore in and took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) aptitude test. The ASVAB is a standardized test similar to the STAAR, but it’s all knowledge of jobs and trades to figure out where you best fit, then you find out what jobs you qualify for.
“Going through senior year knowing that on June 18 I will be in San Diego for three months and getting screamed at by Drill Instructors is amazing,” Henderson said. “I will graduate boot as a E2 which is a Private First Class. I am extremely excited about it.”
There are many different options besides going directly into the Military after high school. Senior Haylee Page has chosen to join the ROTC program after her first year of college. She will be attending Sam Houston University in the fall, and then joining the Air Force as a military nurse.
“I’ve always wanted a job that helped people where I look forward to every day,” Page said. “Being a nurse in the military seems to fit all of the categories that I look for in my career.”
Senior Hope Williams received a full ride to the University of Texas at Austin through the ROTC program. She plans to attend Concordia University to play soccer and participate in the ROTC program at U. T. Austin, meaning she will take ROTC classes at U.T. Austin that Concordia does not provide.
“This is by far my greatest accomplishment and I’m so thankful,” Williams said.
All of these students are doing a great service to our country through making the choice to go into the force. They have chosen to go into the military in various different ways, but all for the same reason: to serve.
“It’s highly important that people serve their country, it teaches patriotism and allows you to work with all different walks of life,” Henderson said. “There is no better feeling in this world than knowing that you are doing something with your life that ensures the security of the country.”
