Military Enrollment An Eye-Opening Path
By Shane Petrovich
Staff Sergeant Joshua Cramlet (left) gives direction to senior Peyton Michaud on Dec. 14 in Rice Lake. Michaud received instruction on hand-to-hand combat and holds. Photo by Shane Petrovich
Senior Payton Michaud was having a hard time staying out of trouble and found herself running out of options. She decided to turn to the Wisconsin National Guard. “I joined to get my head back on my shoulders,” Michaud said.
Michaud was sworn in on July 2, 2014, at the Minneapolis Military Entrance Processing Command. To be able to join, Michaud had to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, which is a test to determine the jobs that you can have in the military.
Douglas Smith is a spokesman for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command and works closely with students from around the country. “We want to make sure every high school student is aware of the career and training opportunities the military has to offer. Everything from being in the infantry, to learning how to work high-tech equipment or be a medical technician,” Smith said.
Superior High School alumni Andrew Chammings is also currently enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard. He is currently on active duty and deployed to Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.
Chammings is at the rank of specialist, and his job is route clearance and convoy security. Chammings had a few words of advice for any high school students looking to enlist. “First, research what all of your possibilities are. Then think of what kind of job you want and also whether you want to stay around home or travel the world,” Chammings said. “Active duty will have its benefits but also a downside. You will be away from home for long periods of time. As for the Guard, you will stay close to home and only drill once a month.”
Chammings and Michaud are just two of the many people who enlist during high school. People join for a variety of reasons ranging anywhere from a sense of duty to country or money for college.
