Four Newtown Students To Attend Military Academies

By Laurie Borst

Four Newtown residents will attend military academies this fall. Scott Nichols has been accepted to the Coast Guard Academy. Tony Magliocco will attend West Point. Ally Kirk is going to the United States Naval Academy. Drew Taylor is headed to the Air Force Academy.

All four cadets will graduate as commissioned officers in their respective branches of the military. After graduation, they will have a commitment of five years on active duty and three years as reservists. And they won’t have any student loans to pay off.

Scott Nichols was born in Cornwall, N.Y., near West Point. For him, the allure of a military academy has always been part of his consciousness. He chose the Coast Guard Academy, in New London, because of its humanitarian mission.

“The Coast Guard goes where the US Navy goes,” he explained. When he attended a weeklong summer session at the academy last year, the instructors said, “What you train for in the army, you hope to never do. What you train for in the Coast Guard, you do every day.”

The Coast Guard uses cutters more than 400 feet long for global missions. It has icebreakers for polar assignments. There are cutters off the coast of Iraq. Smaller boats patrol US coastal waters, focusing on maritime safety, intercepting drug runners, and enforcing laws on the high seas.

Upon completing the academy, Scott will be assigned to a boat for two years, as are all graduates. Coastline patrols are the usual first assignment.

At the age of 7, Scott’s family moved to Newtown, where Scott attended Head O’ Meadow School and joined Boy Scouts. He recently earned Eagle Scout. Boy Scouts prepared him with discipline and the skills to succeed, he explained.

The Nichols family history of firefighters and police officers led Scott to volunteer with Newtown Hook and Ladder. “Firefighting has hardened me a lot,” Scott offered.

By the time he was a freshman, he knew he wanted to go to a military academy. He discussed this with his guidance counselor, Jeff Tolson, who helped him toward his goal.

“The military academies value the leadership camp experience,” Scott said. He attended Boy’s State Camp run by the American Legion. Campers take part in mock government procedures.

Scott has participated in work camps sponsored by St Rose and Newtown Congregational Churches. Summer has meant running camp, too, as he runs all three seasons: cross country, and both indoor and outdoor track.

He will run for the academy. Scott met the Coast Guard admissions officer, who had been a runner at Xavier High School in Middletown, during a meet. Scott heard in mid-December that he was accepted

His interests include law enforcement and search and rescue. “I’d like to stay close to what I’m doing now,” Scott said. He may pursue emergency management.

He has been preparing for college with honors and advanced placement courses. His favorite course is history.

When not studying, running, or fighting fires, Scott likes to hang with his friends. He has one brother, Andrew, a freshman at NHS. “We are complete opposites,” Scott said.

Scott’s parents, Craig and Patti, were a little worried when he first started talking about attending a military academy, maybe the army.

“I think they’re happy with the decision to attend the Coast Guard Academy,” he said.

Discipline And Challenge

Tony Magliocco had not considered a military academy until he was attending soccer camp last year and the coach from West Point approached him.

Soccer has been a big piece of Tony’s life. He played for NHS in the fall. The rest of the year, he plays for Glastonbury’s Oakwood Premier Soccer Club that has earned regional and national acclaim, providing him lots of exposure playing high-level ball.

There is no history of military service in his family. As he looked into the academy, he realized it was right for him. A three-day visit to West Point clinched it.

“I like the discipline, the challenge, the duties,” he said, adding, “the education is impeccable. And I’ll be playing soccer for them.”

Tony was proud that ten out of 16 players on his Oakwood team will be going to Division I schools like Harvard, Cornell, and Dartmouth. He received his letter of assurance on October 2.

Senator Chris Dodd nominated Tony, one of more than 10,000 applicants for the freshman class. West Point will admit 1,300 students this coming fall. Six students from Connecticut will be members of this freshman class.

“I feel my acceptance was totally from God, with so many applicants from all over country with excellent backgrounds,” Tony stated. Two and a half years ago, Tony started attending Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel that has a strong evangelical approach and is nondenominational.

“It’s an amazing place that changed my life forever. I have a totally new philosophy of life that is to surrender my life so the Holy Spirit may live within me. I put all my troubles in God’s hands,” he explained.

Tony was born in Danbury, lived in Brookfield, then moved to Newtown two years ago. He has taken all honors and advanced placement courses. His favorite course has been AP language and composition.

“It helped me grow as reader and as a writer,” he said. “The class introduced me to rhetoric and how we convey messages.”

Tony is confident about his studies over the coming years.

“The first two years, everyone takes the same core curriculum,” Tony explained. “West Point is known as a good engineering school, so I’ll study engineering. Down the road, maybe, I’ll go to law school.”

Tony is one of three children of Frank and Patti Magliocco. His older sister, Rita, attends Fairfield University, while younger sister Linda is a sophomore at NHS. Besides his studies and soccer practice, Tony works ten hours a week for his father, who owns Superior Cleaners and Tailors.

Asked if he has any concerns about state of the world, Tony replied, “In four years, it’ll be totally different. It’s like asking back in eighth grade, where you’re going to college.

“I’d just like everyone to know, the American Dream is possible,” he added.

A Feeling Of Patriotism

Ally Kirk comes from a military family. Her father was in the navy. Her brother, Daniel, 19, is a sophomore at the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. Ally will attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Ally was born in the area, moved to Florida, then came back to Newtown seven years ago. Ally attended St Rose School. She now attends Lauralton Hall.

Ally has two brothers, Brian, 17, and Michael, 15, who attend Fairfield Prep. Michael is considering joining the navy but Brian has no interest in the military.

It was not until a visit to Annapolis over spring break last year that Ally became interested in attending.

“I liked the feel of campus,” she explained. “I attended a summer seminar last year that continued that feeling.”

The seminar lasted two weeks and she found it helpful in making her decision. Through the process of applying to the academy, Ally felt patriotism, adding she was sure it would grow stronger.

Ally considered the Navy/Marines ROTC program at Villanova, too. Visiting her brother at the Merchant Marine Academy helped her focus.

“I look up to him. He had an influence on my decision,” she said. “He said it would help make me be a better person.”

Ally received recommendations from both Senator Joe Lieberman and then-Congresswoman Nancy Johnson. She may study either mechanical or systems engineering. She also is interested in aviation.

To prepare for college, Ally has taken honors and advanced placement courses. This year, she is studying both AP physics and AP biology. Ally is captain of her softball team, playing varsity for four years. Annapolis only offers a club team for women’s softball that she plans to join.

Besides her studies and sports, she works at Carminuccio’s, is a member of Laurelton’s Youth Government Club, and is the club’s Community co-chair, organizing mock legislatures.

While the state of world causes her and her family some concern, her parents, Eileen and Tom, are very proud of her.

A Good Fit

Drew Taylor is a Newtown native accepted to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. He attended St Rose School and has gained accolades for his applied science research on metamaterials at NHS.

“I think the Air Force is a good fit,” Drew said. “It’s what I’ve been working toward. Other people say you have to wear a uniform, you can’t go out and party.”

But, Drew says he lives his life differently than others do. His days at St Rose involved uniforms, rules, and standards. “Catholics live their lives to a high standard,” he said.

Drew’s interest in aviation led him to join Civil Air Patrol last year. Through the group, he has expanded his knowledge of aerospace and leadership skills. He took his first flying lesson at 16.

“I loved it. I’ve been interested in getting my pilot’s license, but it takes a lot of time and work,” Drew explained.

Last summer, Drew attended the Civil Air Patrol’s encampment, which is like boot camp, held at Camp Rell in Groton. Students live in the barracks and learn military protocols, i.e. customs and courtesies, drill, and obstacle course.

They took part in FATS, Fire Arms Training System, which uses an electronic M16 and simulates the actual firing and kick from this weapon. Of 60 students at the camp, Drew received the Outstanding Cadet Award.

Drew has been taking honors courses including AP physics with calculus. He is considering engineering, aviation, or research as a career path.

He keeps active year-round, playing varsity soccer and golf. He is a snowboard instructor at Mount Southington, plays baseball, and is on the Basketball Senior League, an in-house league at NHS.

Senator Lieberman interviewed and recommended him for acceptance to the Air Force Academy.

Drew will attend freshman orientation during spring break. He leaves June 28 for basic training, a six-week program that ends with a basic wilderness survival training session. After that, classes start.

Both of Drew’s grandfathers served in the military. His maternal grandfather went through the Air Force ROTC program. His paternal grandfather was a military policeman during World War II.

The current world situation concerns his mother somewhat. Drew doesn’t think about it much.

“Chances we’ll still be in Iraq [in four years] are slim,” he said. “[Involvement] somewhere else? Chances are pretty good.”

Drew lives with his parents, Fred and Kaki, and has one brother, Matt, a freshman at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

For more information on the US military academies, visit the following websites: US Military Academy at West Point, usma.edu; US Naval Academy, usna.edu; US Coast Guard Academy, cga.edu; US Air Force Academy, usafa.af.mil; and US Merchant Marine Academy, usmma.edu.