The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
DHS student to soar at U.S. Naval
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: June 26, 2008
Recent Dexter High School Graduate Alex Hess has secured an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. - a prestigious achievement for one pursuing a military career.
Advertisement
Hess was one of 10,500 candidates from across the country, as well as 22 foreign countries, who applied for only 1,200 available positions.
He received a nomination from U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-District 7.
The Naval Academy is the four-year undergraduate college of the naval service that prepares individuals as future officers. The appointment is valued at nearly $400,000 and includes a commitment of a minimum of five years of active service as a naval officer.
The competitive selection process for the Academy includes essays, interviews, numerous references, physical testing, medical eligibility and a nomination from a U.S. Congressman.
Hess was also accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
His record at Dexter High School includes a 3.89 grade point average, four varsity letters in cross country and track, cross country team co-captain, National Honor Society president, Key Club treasurer, symphonic band, marching band rank leader and nominee for the Ann Arbor News Young Citizen of the Year.
He has received flight training from his father, Gary Hess, and made his first solo flight in March.
"I've been involved in aviation my whole life," Hess said. Being around planes played a part, but it was the military flight demonstrations that sowed seeds of ambition in his heart.
In Jackson, he began feeling his away around a Pacer before making his solo flight in a Cessna 172. He recalled being a small child in Oshkosh, Wis., accompanying his parents to major shows.
"People fly in from all over the world and I was getting pushed around in strollers when I first visited," he said.
He plans to pursue naval aviation and a degree in engineering.
"It made me want to fly fighter jets, but you have to want more than that to go to the academy," he said. "I started feeling a commitment to my country when I matured. I just want to become part of something bigger.
"In school I started learning more history about the U.S. and it started kind of clicking that this was America they were talking about, and not just some other country ... but my country, my history."
Hess, who graduated from DHS on June 1, will start at the academy on July 2.
The 18-year-old Dexter son has had his sights on this goal for a long while now. He recalls determining that he would get to this point in the sixth grade.
"I sent my first letter to my congressman about this when I was in sixth grade," Hess said. "The application process takes a long time. I started (officially) contacting congressmen my junior year."
Getting through the screening process is quite a gauntlet, requiring a fast and pointed interview process with a "mission panel" of governmental experts and former military personnel in the stead of congressional endorsers for the program such as Walberg.
"It was pretty intimidating, probably the most intimidating thing I've ever done," Hess said.
"You have a certain amount of time to think and then you have to give your answer. I was one of four people and they keep going down the line and they grill you with these different questions."
Hess said the physical aspect is no easier, although in his case his background in Dexter's cross country track competitions give him an advantage.
"They say if you're a runner then the physical portion of the training doesn't affect you very much," he said. "But my pushups might need a little bit of help."
The physical test involves throwing a basketball on your knees for distance, various two-minute timed tests to see how many pushups, situps, and pullups a candidate for the academy can do, and a one-mile run and shuttle run at the very end.
"They're pretty close together, so you don't have much time in between to rest," Hess said.
Gary Hess, was never a military man, nor was any other immediate family that Alex knows of, but the Jackson-based dentist has flown as a hobby for 38 years - since the age of 20.
"I was going to make a career out of it myself, but that didn't work out for me," Gary said. He has remained active as a flight instructor and administers bi-annual flight reviews to fellow pilots.
Most importantly, he was able to effectively instill his passion in his son, which has led to this moment.
"I'm just proud of him, whether he ends up flying in the military or not," Gary said. "It took a lot on his part. To accomplish what he's done it has just taken a lot of perseverance. It's a source of pride for me. It's going to be wonderful to follow his career; it's the most any parent could hope for."
Alex summed up his feelings by adding, "I feel like I've accomplished something that not everyone else gets to do every time I go up."
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
Expanded
Web
Coverage
TOP JOBS
