Mount Shasta High School senior James Chapman is well on his way to achieving his dream of serving his country in the United States military.
Last week, he was one of seven students awarded a Certificate of Nomination from Congressman Wally Herger to attend school at the United States Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy during a ceremony in Chico.
Now that he’s been nominated, Chapman said all there’s left to do is wait.
“I’ll find out if I’m accepted to either academy sometime in March,” Chapman explained, though he said his plan to enter the military will stand whether or not he gets this particular scholarship.
His third option, if he doesn’t get either of the Congressional scholarships, would be to use his already awarded Marine Reserves Officer Training Course scholarship, which offers a full ride at any university with a Marine Corp program, he said.
A military career is something Chapman set his heart on in the seventh grade, when he was watching a news story about the Iraq war.
“They were showing soldiers handing out toys and supplies to children out of a humvee, and in the background, you could hear shooting,” Chapman remembers. “The soldiers had to get into ready position to defend themselves, and when the danger passed, they went back to handing out the supplies. It really inspired me, to see that I could defend my country and help others at the same time.”
Chapman said his future goals are to be deployed somewhere where he’s able to “really integrate with the people.” He said he’s not concerned about being deployed someplace dangerous, and would like to go someplace “where there’s a real need,” such as Afghanistan.
“I’ve come to realize that our lives don’t just belong to us, they belong to mankind. If that means I have to lose my life for it, I think it’s a pretty good thing to lose my life for.”
Chapman was born in Forks, Wash. and after “moving around quite a bit,” he and his family landed in Eugene, Ore., where he spent most of his life.
During the summer before his junior year, Chapman moved to Mount Shasta along with his family – including his father, Paul, who is a timberland manager for the Campbell Group in McCloud, his mother, Donna, who’s a science teacher at Mount Shasta High School, his sister, Kristen, who’s a sophomore at MSHS and his four year old brother, Jacob.
“It’s nice here,” Chapman said. “People sometimes ask me to compare it to Eugene, but I can’t, they’re so different.”
Chapman’s double nomination to both the Naval Academy and the Military Academy is somewhat rare, and he said the experience of interviewing for the scholarship has been an “interesting experience.”
“It was actually a little intimidating, being around so many others who are all of your caliber or higher really opens your eyes to all the competitors you have out there,” he said.
Those wishing to attend one of the four United States Service Academies (including the Military Academy, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy or the Merchant Marine Academy) must have a Congressional nomination, and each academy accepts approximately 1,000 students a year. Only the nation’s top students are accepted, said a press release from Herger’s office.
“I am honored to offer nominations to the outstanding young men and women who wish to serve their country,” Herger said in the release. “The nominated individuals have proven themselves to be exceptional students and leaders in their schools and communities. These are truly the leaders of our country.”
Other nominees include: Hayden Childers of Sutter Union High School, nominated to the US Naval Academy; Erik Gilbertson of Paradise High School, nominated to the US Air Force Academy; Erin Hastey of Yuba City High School, nominated to the US Military Academy and the US Merchant Marine Academy; Grant Page of Pleasant Valley High School, nominated to the US Naval Academy and the US Military Academy; Andrew Sawyer of River Vally High School, nominated to the US Naval Academy; and David Simeroth of Marysville High School, nominated to the US Air Force Academy.
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Mount Shasta High School senior James Chapman is well on his way to achieving his dream of serving his country in the United States military.
Last week, he was one of seven students awarded a Certificate of Nomination from Congressman Wally Herger to attend school at the United States Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy during a ceremony in Chico.
Now that he’s been nominated, Chapman said all there’s left to do is wait.
“I’ll find out if I’m accepted to either academy sometime in March,” Chapman explained, though he said his plan to enter the military will stand whether or not he gets this particular scholarship.
His third option, if he doesn’t get either of the Congressional scholarships, would be to use his already awarded Marine Reserves Officer Training Course scholarship, which offers a full ride at any university with a Marine Corp program, he said.
A military career is something Chapman set his heart on in the seventh grade, when he was watching a news story about the Iraq war.
“They were showing soldiers handing out toys and supplies to children out of a humvee, and in the background, you could hear shooting,” Chapman remembers. “The soldiers had to get into ready position to defend themselves, and when the danger passed, they went back to handing out the supplies. It really inspired me, to see that I could defend my country and help others at the same time.”
Chapman said his future goals are to be deployed somewhere where he’s able to “really integrate with the people.” He said he’s not concerned about being deployed someplace dangerous, and would like to go someplace “where there’s a real need,” such as Afghanistan.
“I’ve come to realize that our lives don’t just belong to us, they belong to mankind. If that means I have to lose my life for it, I think it’s a pretty good thing to lose my life for.”
Chapman was born in Forks, Wash. and after “moving around quite a bit,” he and his family landed in Eugene, Ore., where he spent most of his life.
During the summer before his junior year, Chapman moved to Mount Shasta along with his family – including his father, Paul, who is a timberland manager for the Campbell Group in McCloud, his mother, Donna, who’s a science teacher at Mount Shasta High School, his sister, Kristen, who’s a sophomore at MSHS and his four year old brother, Jacob.
“It’s nice here,” Chapman said. “People sometimes ask me to compare it to Eugene, but I can’t, they’re so different.”
Chapman’s double nomination to both the Naval Academy and the Military Academy is somewhat rare, and he said the experience of interviewing for the scholarship has been an “interesting experience.”
“It was actually a little intimidating, being around so many others who are all of your caliber or higher really opens your eyes to all the competitors you have out there,” he said.
Those wishing to attend one of the four United States Service Academies (including the Military Academy, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy or the Merchant Marine Academy) must have a Congressional nomination, and each academy accepts approximately 1,000 students a year. Only the nation’s top students are accepted, said a press release from Herger’s office.
“I am honored to offer nominations to the outstanding young men and women who wish to serve their country,” Herger said in the release. “The nominated individuals have proven themselves to be exceptional students and leaders in their schools and communities. These are truly the leaders of our country.”
Other nominees include: Hayden Childers of Sutter Union High School, nominated to the US Naval Academy; Erik Gilbertson of Paradise High School, nominated to the US Air Force Academy; Erin Hastey of Yuba City High School, nominated to the US Military Academy and the US Merchant Marine Academy; Grant Page of Pleasant Valley High School, nominated to the US Naval Academy and the US Military Academy; Andrew Sawyer of River Vally High School, nominated to the US Naval Academy; and David Simeroth of Marysville High School, nominated to the US Air Force Academy.
