Military representatives appeared at St. Francis High School in Hamburg Wednesday. They presented ROTC scholarships to college to four students. WBFO's Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley reports the students are headed to the Army, Air Force and Marines.
Four seniors were presented as future military members. The Marines delivered two of the scholarships.
“And this is the first time, in recent history, where two recipients have received it from the same school,” said Eric Crumley, Staff Sergeant, Marines Corps. “It speaks volumes about the kind of men that walk the halls of St. Francis.”
Recipients of the Marine scholarships are Jake Duggan and Ryan Deas. Duggan is headed to Citadel in South Carolina with an interest in a career in Infantry or Aviation.
“My dad’s in the Army. He showed me all the academies. He showed me all the options I could choose and I chose to do Marines, but he was happy either way,” said Duggan.
Deas will be headed to the Naval Academy and is interested in engineering and the Marine Corps.
“I come from a huge military family, so they’ve been a huge influence on me,” remarked Deas. “Do they give you advice?” asked Buckley. “Oh, definitely. They’ve definitely supported me through all my goals and desires, so they are definitely my number one fans,” Deas responded.
Matthew Woodarek is headed into the Air Force.
"My dad was in the Army in Special Forces. My grandpa was in the Army as well in Vietnam, so just them serving their country kind of made me want to serve my country, and at the same time, being able to enjoy it,” Woodarek explained.
Classmate Jonathan Strawbrich wants to be a helicopter pilot. He
Received an Army scholarship to attend Norwich University - The Military College of Vermont.
“My family has a long tradition in the military, which has also driven me to go in. My mom has gone in, my grandparents, cousins, uncles – they all served as well.
All four students are very confident about their decisions and credit the last four years at the Roman Catholic, all-boys, Franciscan high school for preparing them with a foundation for their future military careers
