“I’d always wanted to join as a kid, but it just kind of faded away as I began high school,” senior Domingo Losoya said. “But maybe a year ago it came back that this is what I wanted to do.”

He, like many others has made the commitment and signed a contract, one that promises the next eight years of his life to another. After graduation, Basic Training begins.

His decision to join the Army over other military branches was a more self-benefiting choice.

“I just figured this is better for me,” Domingo said.

Domingo said he doesn’t like being in secluded places for long periods of time, so a ship in the Navy was out. Not being a technical person either, he felt the Air Force was gone as well. So he narrowed his choices between the Marines and Army, and he said the Army could guarantee him a definite job before he had even joined, so his choice was solidified.

He is going in as a Combat Medic, and after his Basics he will go to AIT (Advanced Individual Training) and there, he will start in the medic field

“[My parents] support me 100%,” Domingo said.

On the other side, Junior Kylee Garcia’s mother and stepfather want her to go to college before joining the military.

“They want me to go to college and do ROTC there, then go into the Army as an officer,” Kylee said.

Her father supports her decision to join right after high school. He realized that she wasn’t going to change her mind. He has even offered to sign the papers, allowing her to enlist at 17.

She plans to go in as an enlisted soldier and become a Health Care Specialist with the airborne option. She is training physically by participating in track, lifting weights, and doing daily sit-ups and push-ups. But physical ability isn’t the only aspect necessary for going into the military; one needs to be mentally prepared as well.

“The military needs someone who can think,” Rider JROTC instructor Colonel David Kuhl said.

It is important to have dedication toward your branch and to understand that it takes great commitment to succeed in the military.

“It’s not an 8 to 5 job,” Kuhl said.

When he joined the Army, it was an instant decision for him, Kuhl said it was something he grew up around. His father was in the Army, and before that, his father’s father was in the military. By the time Kuhl reached high school, it was already decided that he would follow that same path. He traveled frequently while in the military, but spent most of his time in the Middle East area.

“[The military] kind of made us who we are,” Kuhl said.

Colonel Kuhl was very pleased with his military time overall. When students come to him wanting to join a military force, he tells them to look at all their options because joining the armed forces is a commitment. One needs to get in shape physically and mentally and have a good education as well.

Kylee, Domingo, and many more individuals just like them hope to gain a lot from their decision to join the military. Some may be more nervous than others, but they are all willing to take the step, and serve.

“I always try to have a positive attitude about things, and I don’t like giving up,” Kylee said.

Kylee said she will be nervous closer to the time of her actual enlistment, but she will use her determination to make it through and follow her heart.

“I think this is what God put me on Earth to do,” Kylee said, “to join the Army and serve our country.”