Ever since he can remember, this young boy has dreamed of serving his country in the military. He’s simply proud to be an American. He’s proud to say that he has patriotism running through his veins, readily admitting that thoughts of serving his country as an officer has impacted his every move thus far in his young life. His name is John “Jack” Conroy.
Jack, 17, is the son of John and Kelly Conroy. He has two younger siblings, Nolan and Carolyne, and a lovable, black Labrador named “Camo”-short for camouflage. Jack is a senior at Xaverian Brothers High School. This institution is a private, Catholic secondary school for boys in grades 7-12. Founded in 1963 on a thirty-three acre campus, the school’s mission is to foster “…a community of faith and learning that is committed to developing the integration of spiritual, moral, intellectual, physical, emotional, cultural, and social dimensions within each young man. Through participation in academic, extracurricular, athletic, and campus ministry programs, a Xaverian graduate will be prepared to meet the demands of higher education, to contribute to society, and to answer the call of Christian service.”
Jack’s doing terrific at Xaverian. He’s consistently earned High Honors. He has taken Honor’s classes in French IV, calculus, English, and theology. Rounding out his educational endeavors, he’ll be taking AP classes in economics and environmental science this schoolyear. At school, Jack has been running on the Hawks varsity track and cross country teams since his freshman year and was just voted in by his running mates as this year’s team captain. Last year, he founded the “Hawks for Heroes” Club. This past July, he, along with teammates, ran in the “Run to Home Base” race, a six mile trot to Fenway Park, raising money for veteran awareness and the problems they face, such as the tragic 22 suicides a day, PTSD, and other vexing problems our veterans face on a daily basis. Jack’s team raised $6,000 for this worthy endeavor.
Jack has participated in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) for the past six years. CAP “is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force.” CAP performs “three congressionally assigned key missions; emergency services which includes search and rescue and disaster relief operations, aerospace education for youth and the general public, and the youth cadet programs.” CAP also performs non-auxiliary missions for various agencies, such as law enforcement and the American Red Cross. And recently, CAP was tasked with Homeland Security and courier service missions.
“I enjoy this program,” Jack said. “The cadet program teaches leadership skills and members get a chance to fly a plane. It’s a lot of fun and I’ve learned so much which will help me when I’m in the service.”
Jack’s personal mission is to be accepted into one of the three military academies for officers, be it the United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, or the United States Air Force Academy at El Paso County, Colorado. He just wants to serve his country. He’s been planning this phase of his life as far back as he can remember.
“I’m passionate about doing this,” he said, enthusiastically. “Ever since I can remember I wanted to join the service. My cousin was an officer and I looked up to him. I was raised in a patriotic family and would be proud to serve as an officer too.”
Jack’s mom and dad have witnessed his steady progression, his drive to succeed, throughout the years; and are proud of their son.
“He’s a remarkable, young man,” said his dad. “He works hard in school and is great with time management. Always busy, he leaves home at 6 a.m., and doesn’t return until 7 p.m.
“He’s very supportive of the military,” he dad added. “At Saint Brigid’s Elementary School he was involved in the Care Package drives and organized a school running club that raised money for veteran’s issues. He’s appreciative of what the service men and women do for this country.
“Since he was five years old and found out that the military branches had colleges, he was ready to join,” his dad concluded. “One way or the other the service is going to get him.”
