Twenty recent high school graduates from the Bay Area will shortly be attending their military academies. Congresswomen Laurel Lee and Kathy Castor formally said them farewell Tuesday evening at MacDill with a special ceremony.
It is no minor accomplishment that they have decided to serve their country. Each was admitted to the military academy of their choice after being nominated by their congressman.
“I’d like to get my helicopter pilot’s license and hopefully serve in either the Coast Guard or maybe the Navy,” Cadet Ava Booker stated.
To congratulate them on their acceptance, U.S. Representatives Laura Lee and Kathy Castor held a special ceremony and send-off with their families at MacDill Air Force Base on Tuesday night.
“It’s definitely nervous, but it’s the excitement. It’s that anticipation. Everybody here has volunteered, raised their right hand, and chosen to serve the United States of America and the Constitution. And I think that’s really impressive,” U.S. Air Force Major Kaitlin Butler stated.
Since she attended her cadet send-off ceremony ten years ago today before leaving for the Air Force Academy, Major Butler is well-aware of what it’s like for these students.
“It’s a really hard place to be at. It’s tough, it’s challenging, it is meant to be that way, but it’s really a great place to be from. The amount of pride you have when you graduate is really second to none,” Butler stated.
First-generation Americans Anthony and Gregory Murashkin are identical twin brothers.
“Both my parents are from Ukraine. They grew up in the Soviet Union and kind of seeing what life was like in a dictatorship really wasn’t pretty,” Gregory stated.
They claimed that the tale of their parents motivated them both to serve their nation.
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“I’m really proud of them, and I’m really happy that they’ve gotten the opportunity to live here,” Anthony stated.
Ava Booker is carrying on the family tradition of her grandfather, who served in the Air Force, and her father, who served in the Army.
“Stick it out, stick with it,” is what Major Butler tells the cadets as they leave for the academy. In the end, it’s worthwhile.
