Anybody walking through the high school athletic entrance passes by the Northview Military Honor Wall, a hall filled with photos honoring students who joined the military. These brave men and women are appreciated by their community for keeping their country safe.
Many students have someone they know in the military, whether it’s a grandparent or a cousin. But many also have current immediate family members whose lives are devoted to serving their country.
For sophomore Colin Jones, this hits close to home. His older brother, Gavin, enlisted in the Marines in July 2022.
“It was just me and him at home [with our parents], and now he’s gone,” Jones said. “[During boot camp], he didn’t have his phone or anything. We could only send him letters and sometimes he couldn’t even respond to those. It’s hard not having him at home, but we know he’s doing what he [loves], so we can’t really complain.”
When Jones sees his brother after months of distance, he can tell Gavin has changed since he went into the military.
“He was always hard-working,” Jones said. “[Now] he’s just more uptight about stuff. He’s more focused and on top of things.”
His brother’s work ethic continues to inspire Jones. The men and women serving in the military have undisputedly strong personal values, most of which rub off on the people closest to them.
Senior Aidan Rush grew up surrounded by those types of people, with his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father having served time in the military and now with Tucker, his cousin, entering the military police.
“Those people were the ones that taught me most of my life lessons [and] most of the things that made me who I am today,” Rush said.
Rush looks up to his family as inspiration for his character.
“I’ve always admired [my dad] for his ability to serve others and always help other people,” Rush said.
Planning to follow his dad’s career of going into the military and then into law enforcement, Rush started thinking about different options when he fell in love with swimming.
“Ever since I knew about the military, until about my sophomore year of high school, that was my one and only plan,” Rush said. “Then I started veering away, trying to find my own path.”
Like Rush, junior Jordan Felker doesn’t plan on going into the military. However, his brother Caleb had other plans.
“I wasn’t super surprised [when he went into the Marines] because I know it was something he had talked about for a while. I wasn’t shocked, but it was still definitely weird,” Felker said. “It definitely made us a lot closer with him being gone. The distance made me realize how much I miss him.”
Felker is proud of his brother for going into the military, although he admits that it’s a little scary. Nevertheless, he appreciates the wake-up call it gave him.
“It’s made me want to make sure that I’m close with the people that I really care about,” Felker said. “[I don’t want to] have something happen and [end up] wishing that I had done something that I didn’t.”
Staff member Mark Spetoskey joined the Marines in 1996. Serving until 2002, he began working as a teacher whilst still in the reserve.
Growing up in a family of instructors, Spetoskey was always interested in going into education and becoming a coach but had a longing to serve his country throughout his childhood.
“At one point I wanted to be a pilot, but my eyesight wasn’t good enough to qualify for that, so I went to college,” Spetoskey said. “College really wasn’t for me at first. I didn’t do well my first year. That’s when I decided that I needed [to try] a different path.”
After finishing his contract with the military, Spetoskey noticed finishing school was easier with the skills he’d learned while he was serving.
“I was kind of a slacker, to be honest. I didn’t take really hard courses in school. I got by doing the bare minimum,” Spetoskey said. “The discipline and the things I’ve learned [in the military] helped me transition to my adult life.”
Taking personal responsibility and adapting to change was one of the biggest things Spetoskey noticed he gained. He now tries to be prepared for everything during the school year and be flexible with his students.
Although the military can be a dangerous job, Spetoskey appreciates the morals he couldn’t have found anywhere else.
“It was nice to be able to serve others. I think it really helped me to develop empathy towards others [and] meet different people from different backgrounds,” Spetoskey said. “It opened my eyes to a bigger world.”
