Thirty-five high school seniors from Nassau County showed their patriotism last week by pledging to serve in the United States military.
The enlistees, from high schools in Baldwin, Freeport, Valley Stream, Wantagh and beyond, are in the final steps of enlisting in the armed forces.
“Only about 23 percent of high school seniors could actually go into the military, and only 1 percent actually do — these kids are the top 1 percent,” said Andrea Nordquist, chair of Our Community Salutes of Nassau County. The organization held a celebration to support the military enlistees and their families at the Nassau County Training and Intelligence Center on May 13.
“They’re very under-recognized,” Nordquist said of high school students who commit to military service. “They don’t get the accolades that they should get, and so this ceremony helps to honor them, and we’re also the first ones to say ‘Thank you for your service.’”
Nordquist is also the president of Blue Star Mothers of America’s Nassau County chapter, a supportive network of families with members in the military. Her son, Gregory, is a senior master sergeant in the Air National Guard.
“I watched him grow up, I watched him mature,” she said. “For kids nowadays, not only does it help them mature, it gives them direction.
“It will give them G.I. bills — they can go to college for free,” Nordquist added. “It just opens up their whole world, and they can discover what they’re talented at, and get training.”
Edward Kenneweg, a U.S. Navy commander and executive officer, specializes in talent acquisition. During the ceremony, he called all Naval enlistees to receive their honors.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to really give appreciation and thanks to those high school seniors that made the big decision to raise their right hand and serve in the military,” he said.
Kenneweg and other military personnel were on hand to express their gratitude to the new recruits.
“My job is to support the recruits and ensure they have the right tools and resources to be successful in their jobs, and overcome barriers and obstacles to reach their long- and short-term goals,” he said.
Nahmare Gilson, a student from Malvern High School, was one of the enlistees honored at the event. He chose to join the military as a career path.
“I realized that college might not have been a decision that I wanted to do,” he said. “My grandfather was in the Army, so I just wanted to join the military to see where that could take me.”
Gilson said he looked forward to “meeting new people in new places,” and challenging himself.
Greg Walpole, of Long Beach High School, enlisted to uphold a family tradition and to prepare for his long-term future. “I’m enlisting because of my family’s footsteps,” he said. “My uncle was in and my cousin’s in right now. I’m going in so it’ll pay for my college and all the benefits that it’s going to give to me.”
Walpole said he looked forward to “learning a new field, getting into school and working hard.”
All of the enlistees received a challenge coin, a copy of the Constitution, and took a ceremonial oath of enlistment after performances from the Coast Guard Band and the Wantagh American Legion Pipe Band.
