James Monroe High School student Braydie Carr of Weikle, West Virginia was recently honored at a military “signing day,” having accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. After completing the rigorous four-year program he will earn a commission as an officer in the United States Army.
The Monroe County Technical Center’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) “Maverick Battalion” hosted the event, which coincided with James Monroe Day on 24 April. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Monty Warner, a graduate of West Point, was the featured speaker. The event also included special music and a formal posting of the U.S. Colors by the JROTC Color Guard. Representatives of American Legion Posts 100 and 145 were present, along with those of the Sons of the American Revolution and district school officials. The event concluded with a reception for friends and family. The event was part of a state-wide effort, the West Virginia Department of Education’s Common Ground program, which devotes this week to honoring students who enlist in the U.S. military and to military families.
Guard Sergeant Aaron Walker.
The mission of the U.S. Military Academy is “…to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.” Braydie’s decision to join the “Long, Gray Line” places him in an unbroken chain of leaders who have served the United States with distinction and honor since its founding in 1802. Unmarried U.S. citizens between the ages of 17-23 who are interested in West Point can contact the local admissions field force representative, Dr. Scott Womack, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired) via email at womackse@gmail.com or Facebook Messenger.
