Midshipman returns home to speak to Naval Academy hopefuls

WASILLA — Wilton Farmwald returned to Alaska as a Midshipman in the United States Naval Academy this Thanksgiving week.

The academy is geared for individuals who are driven to take on leadership roles and taking on roles of his own, Farmwald is spending a few weeks in his home state to spread the word about the academy in the hopes of recruiting young and motivated individuals. He’s touring several high schools both in Anchorage and the Valley.

“It’s really about leadership and building character; making tough decisions,” Farmwald said.

Farmwald went to West High School in Anchorage. He’s 20 years old and a Third Class Midshipman. Students in the academy are called Midshipman due to the ties the actual rank in the Navy. Farmwald said that back in the “old days, the age of sail and the Royal Navy,” the officers in training would live and train in the middle of the ship. All Midshipmen receive a full-ride scholarship with paid room and board, medical and dental care, and even a $1,017 monthly salary. After four years of a paid education, each graduate must serve a five-year commitment in either the Navy or Marine Corps. With two more years to go, Farmwald is in the middle of the ship of his higher education. There is a growing demand, or a “geographic need” for qualified applicants from Alaska, so Farmwald took on the responsibility to seek out potential candidates. On one of his stops, he met with Laelle Robinson, a junior at Wasilla High School.

“She’s in a good spot right now, but there’s always room to improve,” Farmwald said.

Robinson comes from a military family. She also used to be home schooled. Farmwald talked with her for a while to go over what it takes to qualify. He also gave her advice on how to become more competitive and how to stand out more in her application process. He noted that she was in extracurricular activities, which is a good notch in her belt. Robinson is currently in Wasilla High School’s Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. Although it isn’t required to be in JROTC prior to joining the academy, it does help introduce young people into the military way of life and will certainly be useful when they decide to enroll.

Since one of the end goals of the Naval Academy is to become an officer, Farmwald said it’s important to not only participate in extracurricular activities, but to excel in them, whether it’s becoming the team captain of a soccer team or winning a chess tournament. The idea is to be at the top of the barrel when the Academy is sifting through applicants. Farmwald said that the application process is “rigorous,” and contains many requirements. The age requirement calls for people 18 to 24 years old. In addition to good grades, SAT scores, ACT scores, there is also a nomination process. That means every applicant needs to get a signed letter from a senator or congressman. Every applicant also has to undergo an intense physical fitness test.

“It’s something you really need to prepare for,” Farmwald said. “It’s not something you can just walk into.”

There are many ways to get into the academy. One route is to take the one-year, preparatory school, which is something Farmwald highly recommended. The prep school is in Newport, Rhode Island. Farmwald said that it’s place to transition into the military lifestyle while picking up some essential skills and education. He thinks that anyone who goes through the prep school has a clear advantage to join the Naval Academy. No matter what route an applicant takes, Farmwald said that they need to “go far with it.”

“Challenge yourself, put in extra hours, lead your team to victory. Hard work is a key factor,” Farmwald said.

Dan Kennedy was at Wasilla High School with Farmwald and Robinson. He was wearing a football jersey with the word Navy, a coat of arms and the number 12 embroidered onto it. Kennedy is a Blue Gold Officer for the Naval Academy, which means he’s a volunteer who helps young men and women with the application process. Kennedy has three children. Two of them graduated from the Academy.

“My biggest goal was to stay out of their way,” Kennedy laughed.

While he has no military background personally, his children ignited a fervent interest to volunteer his time to promote the military way of life. He said that the academy is one of the “hardest schools to get into.” He ranked it among schools like Harvard and Stanford. He said that the academy looks for the “very best high school students” across the United States. 18,000 young adults apply every year and 1,200 make the cut.

“We want to get more Alaskan kids to the academy,” Kennedy said.

Farmwald noted that by going through the academy, students form strong bonds with each other, which is something vital to all service in the Military. He said that prior to the first semester; every student goes through basic training. He made some of his best friends during the rigid training.

“You suffer hardships together. When you dedicate yourself to a life of service, you really have to rely on the people to the left and to your right. You run into difficult times and they will help pick you up. You can’t really find that anywhere else, I think. That’s one of the real reasons I wanted to get into the Academy,” Farmwald said.

By taking the Naval Academy route, individuals can become everything from a fighter pilot, an officer on a submarine, a medical doctor, and so on. Robinson said that she wants to get into the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) program. The JAG program is for students interested in military law. She wants to be a lawyer. To illustrate, Kennedy said that she would be like Tom Cruise in the movie, “A Few Good Men.” Farmwald always wanted to be pilot. That’s still his end game after he completes the Academy.

“There’s two Alaskan kids who have the right stuff,” Kennedy said.

Farmwald joined the Academy when he was 18 years old. Being back home reminded him of when he was at the first step of journey. Robinson is 17. After seeing Farmwald in his blue uniform, reality started to sink in.

“It’s right around the corner, so it’s crazy,” Robinson said.