I am a private in the Utah Army National Guard. I enlisted in March of 2023, during my junior year of high school. The summer between my junior and senior years of high school I attended basic combat training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.
There are many different reasons that I decided to join the military. Some of them consist of having a plan for the future if other careers do not go as planned. This has also set my retirement up early in life and not later after I finish all schooling and am set in another career.
Another reason that I enlisted was all of the schooling benefits for college after I graduate high school. After training I am planning on attending the aviation program at Southern Utah University. This is usually a really expensive course to go through, but because of the army, I will be able to go through without creating a substantial amount of student debt.
In addition to all of the financial benefits, there are also many personal benefits from enlisting in the military. This consists of many moral and social advantages. I am much more open to new experiences and meeting new people. One of the main reasons that I joined is that if the opportunity arises I will be able to fight for my country and protect the land that I love so much and want to let every person in the country have their freedom.
There are many physically and mentally challenging things that I had to go through in the military that will continue to help me. They have given me many opportunities in life and I am very glad that I enlisted in the United States Military.
– by Gage Julander
Feature image caption: The Escalante Fire Department flies a large American flag over Main Street on October 28, 2020. Courtesy of AJ Martel.