thedrifter
11-05-08, 05:00 AM
Students sample service academies, ROTC
By TOM JACOBS
Published: 11.03.08
One wants to fly, and another wants to swim.
Those are just a couple of the dreams that brought several dozen area high school students to an Ellington Field hanger on Saturday, to meets representatives of the country’s service academies and college ROTC programs. The event, dubbed “Academy Day,” was hosted by Congressman Nick Lampson, whose district encompasses Ellington.
Lampson said he was happy to take a morning away from the campaign trail, to meet the students and their families. The vast majority of service academy appointments are through nominations from the students’ congressmen and senators; there are rare presidential and vice presidential appointments, and a few appointments are set aside at each school for athletic scholarships.
Garrett Edwards of Friendswood is interested in flying; his father Dave Edwards currently flies helicopters for the U.S. Coast Guard and formerly was an Army aviator. Garrett, a junior lineman on the FHS Mustang football squad, said he was at Academy Day with his dad to meet with both Coast Guard and Air Force representatives.
R. J. Denson of Needville, on the other hand, is upfront about not wanting to fly. He’s looking for someplace to splash around, and being a Coast Guard rescue swimmer might be just the thing. He quickly signed up to receive more information about opportunities in the Coast Guard, as his father Shawn looked on.
“I like to swim a lot,” Denson said. “I never liked the air.”
Shawn Denson said he is pleased with the dedication his son shows in pursuing his future.
“He’s on the right path. We asked him for a commitment to a four-year university or (service) academy, and we’d be behind him,” the elder Denson said.
Denson, only a sophomore at Needville High School in south Fort Bend County, already has a busy plate, his dad added, with football, powerlifting, Spanish Club and FFA, in addition to church activities away from school.
It’s well-rounded students like Edwards and Denson who demonstrate commitment and character as well as brains and brawn that the academies seek.
There are five Service Academies: The Air Force (USAFA), Naval (USNA), Military (USMA), Merchant Marine (USMMA), and Coast Guard (USCGA) academies. Nominations are required for all but the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, to which appointments are made on the basis of an annual nationwide competition.
Competition is fierce. According to a USMA spokesman, the average first-year class at West Point numbers between 1,000 and 1,200 students, barely 10 percent of those who apply for a nomination each year.
Joining the service academy representatives were recruiters for their respective ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) programs at area colleges and universities. ROTC commissions account for about 39 percent of the current serving officer corps in the U.S. military, according to the Department of Defense.
Senior Chief Andrew Warren, Navy ROTC scholarship coordinator for schools in the Houston area, said ROTC interest has remained steady after rising in the aftermath of 9/11. The Navy’s current goal is to attract a more diverse student group to its program, Warren said. Local schools offering Navy ROTC include UH, Rice, Houston Baptist, Texas Southern, Texas A&M Galveston and Prairie View.
The Army and Navy booths seemed to attract the larger crowds of students and parents on Saturday, as they lingered to ask the recruiters question after question.
Midshipman First Class Stokes, a senior at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, admitted to one student and his family that he was a bit biased in which service he would recommend.
The Navy can offer its air arm for those who want to fly, he said, and its fleet for those who want to serve on the water.
“If you want to go under the water, we have submarines,” Stokes said. “And if you want to stay on the ground, we have the Marines.”
Ellie
By TOM JACOBS
Published: 11.03.08
One wants to fly, and another wants to swim.
Those are just a couple of the dreams that brought several dozen area high school students to an Ellington Field hanger on Saturday, to meets representatives of the country’s service academies and college ROTC programs. The event, dubbed “Academy Day,” was hosted by Congressman Nick Lampson, whose district encompasses Ellington.
Lampson said he was happy to take a morning away from the campaign trail, to meet the students and their families. The vast majority of service academy appointments are through nominations from the students’ congressmen and senators; there are rare presidential and vice presidential appointments, and a few appointments are set aside at each school for athletic scholarships.
Garrett Edwards of Friendswood is interested in flying; his father Dave Edwards currently flies helicopters for the U.S. Coast Guard and formerly was an Army aviator. Garrett, a junior lineman on the FHS Mustang football squad, said he was at Academy Day with his dad to meet with both Coast Guard and Air Force representatives.
R. J. Denson of Needville, on the other hand, is upfront about not wanting to fly. He’s looking for someplace to splash around, and being a Coast Guard rescue swimmer might be just the thing. He quickly signed up to receive more information about opportunities in the Coast Guard, as his father Shawn looked on.
“I like to swim a lot,” Denson said. “I never liked the air.”
Shawn Denson said he is pleased with the dedication his son shows in pursuing his future.
“He’s on the right path. We asked him for a commitment to a four-year university or (service) academy, and we’d be behind him,” the elder Denson said.
Denson, only a sophomore at Needville High School in south Fort Bend County, already has a busy plate, his dad added, with football, powerlifting, Spanish Club and FFA, in addition to church activities away from school.
It’s well-rounded students like Edwards and Denson who demonstrate commitment and character as well as brains and brawn that the academies seek.
There are five Service Academies: The Air Force (USAFA), Naval (USNA), Military (USMA), Merchant Marine (USMMA), and Coast Guard (USCGA) academies. Nominations are required for all but the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, to which appointments are made on the basis of an annual nationwide competition.
Competition is fierce. According to a USMA spokesman, the average first-year class at West Point numbers between 1,000 and 1,200 students, barely 10 percent of those who apply for a nomination each year.
Joining the service academy representatives were recruiters for their respective ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) programs at area colleges and universities. ROTC commissions account for about 39 percent of the current serving officer corps in the U.S. military, according to the Department of Defense.
Senior Chief Andrew Warren, Navy ROTC scholarship coordinator for schools in the Houston area, said ROTC interest has remained steady after rising in the aftermath of 9/11. The Navy’s current goal is to attract a more diverse student group to its program, Warren said. Local schools offering Navy ROTC include UH, Rice, Houston Baptist, Texas Southern, Texas A&M Galveston and Prairie View.
The Army and Navy booths seemed to attract the larger crowds of students and parents on Saturday, as they lingered to ask the recruiters question after question.
Midshipman First Class Stokes, a senior at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, admitted to one student and his family that he was a bit biased in which service he would recommend.
The Navy can offer its air arm for those who want to fly, he said, and its fleet for those who want to serve on the water.
“If you want to go under the water, we have submarines,” Stokes said. “And if you want to stay on the ground, we have the Marines.”
Ellie