Military hopefuls get boost

Seventeen-year-old Maximilliam Holguin of Southbury grew up on stories of his father’s day’s piloting an Army scout helicopter, one grandfather’s service in Korea and another grandfather’s time on the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Gatling.

Holguin went to football games at his father’s alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and met his father’s classmates.

Now, Holguin is one of 24 candidates nominated for the nation’s elite military academies by U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D5th District. Holguin had already secured a nomination from U.S. Sen. Christopher Murphy, but sees the second nomination as a big boost to his dream.

“Getting that second nomination was a huge relief,” Holguin said. “My family was overjoyed, as was I.”

A nomination from a member of Congress is needed to apply for the nation’s top military academies. On Wednesday, Esty released the list of 24 local high school students who have received her endorsement. These were vetted by a panel of veterans.

“It’s inspiring to see so many of our young women and men eager to serve our country and defend our nation’s freedom,” Esty said, according to a release from her office.

Two of those nominees come from Esty’s hometown of Cheshire, including Hevin Na, one of the top students at Cheshire High School.

At the end of his junior year, Na was ranked among the top 4 percent of his class.

Na had already been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. On Tuesday, Na passed his physical, medical and academic aptitude tests for West Point. Now he’s waiting for a final answer.

Na moved to Cheshire in the fourth grade, and most of his extended family still lives in South Korea. Most of the men in his family have gone through mandatory military service, and Na feels a duty to do the same.

“I feel if they’ve gone through it, why can’t I, even if I grew up as an American,” Na said. “And why not go through West Point, which will give me the best opportunity to be an officer.”