Hiking through Fort Drum with a 70 pound backpack full of equipment, ammo, sleep system and clothes, Fenton alum Andrew Isaacson fights through the snow blizzard with body armor and weapons completing his ruck march that goes for miles on end.
For any student thinking about going into the military, it is not all infantry; it includes a wide variety of job specializations and opportunities. Entering the military can mean enlisting, where it is more hands-on which requires a high school diploma/GED, or it can be as an officer which requires a high school and a college education with a class like the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Being an officer can lead to careers in medical and law fields.
“If you join the military you can be a cook, a mechanic, an engineer, a doctor or a scout; you can fly helicopters, do field artillery, interrogating, you can even sit behind a desk. You can go to schools to train and become an army ranger, special forces, a sapper, a pathfinder, air assaultman, airborne, or in delta force as well,” Isaacson said. “I’m an infantryman, which means my job is to fight the enemy face to face (frontline combat). I have the most dangerous job in the military, which is very prestigious. There are so many different things and jobs you can do in the army. It’s some of the hardest training in the world, but a noble and rewarding profession.”
Anyone who takes a ROTC class is to become an officer in the Army, the Air Force, Navy and Marines or the Coast Guard, which are the members of the army that formulate plans. ROTC allows future soldiers to go to college before deployment and in return they offer help paying for school.
It is possible to play a sport at the same time as being part of the army. In exchange for committing to serving in the military after graduation, cadets receive a paid college education and a post-college career. Along with physical benefits the military teaches leadership skills, self-discipline and how to cooperate with others.
“I’m going into the ROTC to become a pilot in the Air Force when I graduate from college,” senior Alex Fulton said. “I’m going to Western Michigan University because they are the fourth best pilot school in the nation and I already have my pilots license.”
Under one percent of the population of the United States serves in the military. The Army pays soldiers depending on rank, time of service and special qualifications. They also pay for their education after they get out or while they’re serving. Soldiers may be selected over someone with the same credentials for a job because they went the extra mile.
“They hold us to a higher standard. I have to keep my grades up, have to continue to be physically fit, and I have to stay out of trouble,” Fenton alum Sean Rusaw said. “If a person wants extra motivation to do well in those aspects of their life as well as many others, I would recommend joining.”