Senior Jake Mercer will be continuing his “family trend” as he plans to join the military via Air National Guard.
Jake’s brother, Ty, currently serves in the Army and his father is an Army veteran.
Jake will work as a Crew Chief and perform maintenance on a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, and will simultaneously be enrolled at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. At IUP, he plans to major in either Marketing or Political Science and Government.
“One weekend every month I will go to Harrisburg Airport to do my job then come home. This allows me to be a full-time student as well. But, if my unit were activated, I would get deployed then come back and continue school,” he said.
For nine months, Jake will reside nearly 2,000 miles away in Texas at Fort Lockland and Fort Sheppard, then at a base in Arkansas. Being so far from home could be “scary,” but Jake isn’t worried, since he has “the best support system [he] could ask for.”
“Seeing my brother do it gives me a lot more confidence,” he mentioned. “I know it’ll be nothing but great things.”
The National Guard was the best fit for Jake due to its high retention rate and the appealing job opportunities, and IUP is the school to start him on that path.
“IUP was that perfect median for me. It’s not too far away but it’s enough where I can learn some basic life skills,” quoted Jake.
Although Jake will miss his friends and family when he’s away, he can’t wait to travel and experience his next chapter.
“There are so many things that have been opened up to me after joining. I look forward to going to school and if I get deployed, having the chance to go to so many cool places,” he said.
We wish Jake good luck in his future endeavors!
