News

Students turn out for Edwards's first Military Academy Day

By Bill Moss, Published: March 3, 2024

High school students aspiring to win an appointment to a U.S. military academy got information from recruiters and asked questions about the admissions process during U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards’s first Military Academy Day at the Historic Courthouse on Saturday.

The young men and women, many accompanied by one or both parents, stopped at tables manned by representatives of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Naval, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine academies.

In public settings when he has engaged with military academy aspirants, the freshman congressman has made it clear that vetting and nominating high school seniors for a coveted academy appointment is a humbling and rewarding part of his new job.

“It was a surprise to me when I got elected to Congress that one of the honors that I would have would be to get to interview folks and nominate them to a service academy,” Edwards said.

“I hope while you're here, and you're meeting with the fine folks from the military academies, you'll also pick their brain,” he told the students. “They're here for you as a resource to answer any questions that you may have and take the mystery out of applying to a military service academy.”

Students must first be nominated by their representative in Congress; once nominated they must be admitted by the school they’ve applied to.