Malverne boy on the road to becoming a U.S. Marine

Malverne resident Thomas Stewart graduated Chaminade High School in June and was already away at college one month later. The 17-year-old began his freshman year with a tight schedule and two full weeks of rigorous training that started in July. He has little time between classes and has hardly spoken to his family or seen his parents since he left for school.

Stewart is now a “plebe,” a freshman at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point on Long Island. It is one of America’s five service academies. There he will undergo an extensive engineering and transportation curriculum consisting of three 11-month residential years and one year at sea.

Thomas is one of about 275 students chosen to be admitted to the competitive school from a nationwide pool, following a challenging application process. Indeed, he didn’t just worry about sending his high school transcript and his SAT scores to fulfill academy requirements: he also had to set up a Transportation Worker Identification Credential maritime traveling card after securing the recommendation of his local congresswoman, Carolyn McCarthy.

Thomas' father, Patrick Stewart, recalls his son working on the application since his junior year of high school. He was inspired by an uncle who graduated the West Point U.S. Military Academy, but his father said, Thomas’ determination was all his own.

"He figured it out,” Stewart recently told the Herald.  “He realized that the honor and integrity of the military was something [in which] he was interested. I directed him, but he's the one who did all the homework on it."

Thomas has always been hardworking, often making it onto his school's honor rolls and becoming a certified New York City lifeguard. He also worked as an alter boy and was involved in athletic and volunteer programs, including the Anchor program, Homes for Heroes and Wounded Warriors.

At the Academy, Thomas has already chosen to focus on engineering, even though he does not have to declare a major until the second trimester of his freshman year. At the moment, he and his classmates are preparing for September, when they will see family members and participate in a traditional ceremony in which they will receive pins marking them official Midshipmen.

As first-year students, however, Thomas and his peers will endure disciplinary restrictions and enjoy few privileges and vacations. The academy designates limited segments of time for students to use computers or telephones, and it also reserves the right to pull privileges.

"Everything they do is on an earned basis," Stewart said. “Anything is a privilege. You can’t have time off," he added, explaining that Thomas was only allotted three minutes of visitation time during his first weekend.

Understandably, Thomas is dealing with stressful demands, and his absence is difficult for his parents to bear. Stewart said that leaving Thomas to his official first day at the academy was particularly straining.

"One of the things they say to you when you drop him off — you drop off all his original paperwork, his original birth certificate, his original Social Security card, his original passport, and they pat you on the back and say what a great job you did," Stewart said. "They say, 'And one more thing we need to tell you: he's no longer your son, he's a product of the United States government.'"

Despite the difficulty of parting, the Stewarts are proud of their son. “The mind knows it's right, the heart has to follow,” Stewart said. “It's hard for a mother. It's hard for a father, too. ... It's a good thing: when he graduates, he comes out an officer and he comes out the real deal."

After graduation, Thomas will have a Bachelor of Science degree and a variety of career options. He will be able to serve in the maritime industry as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserve or work as a licensed officer on any American merchant vessel. He will also be recognized as a ranking officer of the United States Army.