The engines of a jet roar and the pressure of gravity weighs down. All while thousands of feet below the chaos of a combat zone unravels. This is the life that Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Seaney has been working for.  

  Serving the country has been a long time goal for Seaney joining JROTC as a freshman. With this being Seaney’s senior year in the program he has worked his way to the top as battalion commander. Over the summer he attended basic training for over two months. According to Seaney his time at camp was extremely rough but also very fruitful. 

   “My experience at boot camp, obviously, was a little rough. It’s not fun, but the messed up part is it’s kinda fun because you want to go back and do it again. It was rough because you get taken out of your life here. Just from like regular school, worrying about homework and the test the next day and all you care about is studying for something that you have to make a good grade on. Then you get thrown on a bus, and there is a drill sergeant when you get off yelling at you in your face and everything saying ‘you’re worthless.’ You’re surrounded by 60 other people you’ve never met before in your life; it was about 200 actually you’ve never met in your life. It’s just a big drastic change from being with your family and then being with total strangers getting in these high intense stress environments,” Seaney said. 

   During his time at basic training, Seaney built on many skills that will help prepare him for his future in the Army. After graduating high school, Seaney wants to attend Valley Forge Military College and study aerospace engineering to then go on to become an air assault pilot. 

   “At boot camp I learned a lot more discipline, how to take care of myself and others better and just performing in these high intense stress environments has really taught me not to worry so much and not be so anxiety filled whenever I’m put into a situation that I really have no control over, and it’s really taught me how to work efficiently in these environments,” Seaney said. 

His desire to join the Army stems from his respect for the government and wanting to give back and serve his country while also making a career out of it. 

   “ How I made it through basic training was I just thought about why I was there. I was there to serve my country and to make a career out of this whole thing and get the experience I needed to help me further along in life and in my career. Some people there used money as their motivation because you were getting paid to do everything that you did there, but for me personally it was to serve my country. I really wanted to serve my country,” Seaney said.  

   Around campus, some people view JROTC in a demeaning way, but this stigma could not be farther from the truth. People label JROTC as just a place to send troubled children and even viewing them as sub par in academics and athletics. When in reality, the program is full of a diverse range of people. Seaney works to break down these stigmas in the minds of those who doubt the program. 

   “We have people from all kinds of programs in the school, and it’s really just a big diverse thing more than like just one little small group of people. And I want to remove that stigma from the minds of everybody around here,” Seaney said. 

   JROTC not only gives Seaney a way to pay for college but also inspired him to do something he is passionate about.

   “My life has improved greatly since I joined ROTC. It’s given me so many opportunities like I’ve said before and just opened my eyes to what I can actually accomplish myself, and it has just built my confidence up a lot and equipped me with the skills I’m gonna use for the rest of my life, “ Seaney said. 

   For Seaney and many others, JROTC has made an impact that has changed the course of their lives. With each student gaining skills that have better set them up for success.