Over 100 prospective cadets, midshipmen, and their families attended the Service Academy Day held at Louisiana Tech on Sept. 27. The event was sponsored by Louisiana’s senior senator, Bill Cassidy. Representatives from House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office as well as Congresspersons Cleo Fields and Julia Letlow’s offices were on hand to speak to families about the nomination process.

Representatives from West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, the Merchant Marine and Coast Guard Academies were on hand to answer any questions about admission to and life at, the service academies. In addition, there were officers from Louisiana Tech’s Air Force ROTC and Grambling, Northwestern and ULM’s Army ROTC. The representatives and the senatorial and congressional staffers provided detailed information about the application process.

Natchitoches Parish is fortunate to have two local men as representatives for the Naval and Coast Guard Academies. Captain Trent Friedel, USN is an USNA Admissions Representative for our area. Mr. Thomas Brennan is an Admissions Partner with the United States Coast Guard Academy.

The NPJ also wishes Naval Academy Midshipman 2nd Class Christopher Barnard of Shreveport who took time from his duties in order to assist the recruiters, every success in his career. Impressive young people such as yourself make us proud to be Louisianans. Let us work together to bring out the best in our parish’s young people so that they can earn their places at our nation’s service academies and go on to do great things!

“…to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government” – The Naval Academy mission, in part and not a bad way to sum up what officership is about.