The Road to West Point: A Maine Soldier's Journey

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AUGUSTA, ME (06/11/2014)(readMedia)-- Pvt. Angus Ferrell moved from New Jersey to Maine during his junior year of high school. The son of an Episcopalian minister, and oil artist, the athletic student began taking the steps that would lead him on a path he felt destined to follow.

"When I was younger, I went to a wrestling camp at Annapolis," said Ferrell. "There was definitely the wow factor. I saw all the cadets and midshipmen walking around in their uniforms, and they all just looked so impressive. I could picture myself being that person, that inspiring figure. I really looked up to the image, and it is something I want to be able to uphold for myself. It's just awesome, and it's very honorable."

What exactly does Ferrell hope to do? He wants to excel in one of the five military universities in the U.S. So, shortly after his family settled into their new home in Falmouth, Ferrell started to test out recruiters in the area, the Army, Navy and Air Force, and see what he could do to start getting ahead on preparing himself to apply to these schools.

Most high school students spend the summer before senior year working part time jobs and spending time with friends. Ferrell, who works part time at Ralph Lauren- Polo, packed his bags and spent his summer listening and learning from his drill sergeants.

Attending basic training is not a perquisite for getting into any of the military academies Ferrell had his heart set on, but he knew that getting that experience would be beneficial to him in the long run.

"The military was something I wanted to do since I was a little kid," he said. "Maybe it was cool movies or something. But even growing up, we would all go play soldier in a big field across from our house. We would dig foxholes, and play with wooden weapons and have Nerf gun battles. We even had our own leadership structure. It was pretty cool. Now, I get to experience it as an adult, and its different, but different in that we have all grown up now."

Ferrell's mother, Erin, said that his drive towards this path is nothing less than admirable.

"We were talking about having a 'broken leg school' in case none of the academies work out," she said. "Angus just looked at me and said, You know mom, if I don't get accepted this year, I will go ahead with the military police training this summer, and apply next year. Maybe take some community college courses or something.' He just can't see himself anywhere but at a military academy."

Ferrell agreed. "It's like, I don't even really have a thought about others schools. This is my goal, and 100 percent of my focus is on these academies. I can't see anything else right now."

Most colleges require you to fill out the appropriate application form, and submit your SAT scores to be considered for admittance. For the military academies, the process is much lengthier and must be handled differently.

"I had to get the nominations from the Maine Senators, I had to fill out the academy applications," he said. "There was a physical fitness test, medical exams."

Erin added in, "The most difficult part about the process was that once you get through one door, you face three more that are locked, and then you have to get through those. It's not a simple weekend process. He had to do three separate interviews with each school. One with a liaison to make sure we knew the policies. A family interview with all of us. And a separate one-on-one interview where they really look at your character and drive to see how you would fit in at the school."

Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Kritzer is a Military Entrance Processing Command counselor, and is part of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion for the Maine Army National Guard. Kritzer was one of the non commissioned officers who helped Ferrell get his packet ready and start the enlistment process. Now that Ferrell has completed basic training, and is waiting on his next phase of training, he has been a useful tool for the Recruit Sustainment Program. Kritzer said that Ferrell has a natural ability to lead others. His confidence and self assurance have helped push him into leadership roles that would normally be reserved for someone older, and of a higher rank. He takes himself very seriously.

"He studies the regulations, he knows the army values, he has done everything we could have asked him to do," said Kritzer. "He excels and pushes past the norm. He sets a standard and encourages other to follow."

Ferrell is very self motivated, sometimes waking as early as 4:30 to work out on his own, before heading to school, and then continuing with sports teams afterwards. That drive has led him to push past the standards for the Army Physical Training tests, and to encourage others to follow his lead. Kritzer pointed to one trait that is often found in leaders. Charisma. The ability to speak clearly, concisely and in a manner that helps others to understand

"Ferrell is right there at the top of the list as far as maturity level. He is very squared away, and presents himself in a professional manner, his uniform is always top notch," said Kritzer. "He is not afraid to step in front of the troops and use what he has learned to help them. A lot of kids his age, don't want to get in front of people and talk or use the skill set they have gained. But he is up there doing it."

Those leadership qualities will certainly help Ferrell as he forges ahead with his dreams. In January, he turned in all of his applications. He completed all of the medical screenings and interviews, and waited. He pushed forward with his studies, with his lacrosse practices, and continued to be a leader, both on and off duty, and waited. Of the 17,000 high school students that apply to all of the military academies, only 4,600 cadets are accepted.

Erin said she is not a patient person. Letters can come anytime between December and mid-April, depending on where you rank on the list. "The higher on the list, the sooner you find out if you were accepted," she said. "The lower you are on the list, the sooner you get your rejection letter. Angus was high, but not high enough."

In April, the Ferrell's found out that Angus had been rejected from the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy. It was then that they found out that Angus was ranked 5th in Maine. The state only takes two candidates.

Erin said finding out that information changed the outlook for the whole family. "The future just looked different. Angus's obligation with the Maine Army National Guard said that he needed to complete Military Police Training from August to October, so that knocked out a first semester at the University of Maine. Angus would be hanging at home until February 2015. We were all a bit grumpy."

Throughout May, the family worked to try to get to the backup plans they had thought of in case this happened. Arrangements were made, and the family started to move forward.

As the family resigned to their new plans and May turned into June, Angus received the phone call he had been waiting for. He was invited to attend West Point in the fall.

The Ferrell family said they are proud of Angus and are ready to face the challenges of having him pursue a career in the military.

"The invitation from West Point marks the end of a three year journey beginning with the first visit to Annapolis," said Erin. "Then there was the realization as a parent that my child would fit perfectly in this strange military world, the hard work of forms and tests he had to complete, and then the waiting for seven months. Facing rejection and grief, and finally this incredible surprise, and finding tremendous joy. A joy that wouldn't be so crazy without all the work and the pain that came before it."