Junior Brad Thomas won’t graduate with his class; he’s leaving East early because next year he will be at boot camp.
He’d always known that he wanted to join the military, because that is what his stepfather had done.
“We went through all the recruiters, and thought the Navy was the best, because of the opportunities,” Thomas said. Opportunities like higher education, and the special forces.
“I got all the jobs I really wanted,” Thomas said.
He wants to be a part of the action, in a Special Operations Unit.
Thomas was assigned the choice of SEAL (Sea, Air & Land), who can operate in any environment but especially around marine areas. He also got Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC), which protects the SEALs, taking them in and out of missions and Master at Arms which is a cop in the Navy.
Since Thomas is technically a junior, originally scheduled to graduate in 2014, he had to take a rigorous year of both his senior and junior classes, to join as soon as possible.
“I had to take all core classes, except for a couple, and just double up on some of the classes,” Thomas said.
He thought it was better to graduate early, even though he didn’t have to. Thomas is sad he’s missing his wrestling season next year.
He’s ready, but he’s also afraid of not having his family around, because they all live here, and he could be deployed thousands of miles away next year.
His mom is okay with him joining the Navy because of his stepdad being in the navy, but doesn’t want him to leave.
“My dad, he’s never really liked the military, but he suggested the navy more than anything else,” Thomas said.
While he wasn’t able to make his father like the military, Thomas is happy that he got him to agree on the Navy because of the opportunities it provides.
In regards to higher education, Thomas isn’t worried about next year at boot camp.
“They have college advisors there,” Thomas said, “They’ll give you time to go class, they have college teachers that will stick with you when you’re deployed.”
He’s not scared for deployment now but admits that he will probably be when his time comes, which could be as soon as this December. He could be sent to a Navy boat, or somewhere in the Middle East.
Thomas swears in at Busch Stadium, of the St. Louis Cardinals, on Aug. 15, and leaves immediately after for boot camp in Chicago. During the ceremony he and others will repeat the Enlisted Officers Oath in front of the crowd before the game.
In 10 years Thomas hopes to be working for the Navy in California or back in Kansas City with the rest of his family.
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