These future soldiers from the Tri-Cities got a call from space
Five Tri-City military recruits joined in a swearing in ceremony that was out of this world.
Future U.S. Army soldiers from Richland, Kennewick and Pasco received their oath of enlistment Wednesday from astronaut Col. Andrew Morgan while he was on board the International Space Station.
Richland High School was one of 100 schools nationwide to participated in the first of its kind event.
“Before I took this nine-month journey to space as an astronaut, I was a soldier first,” Morgan said in the telecast. “I made the decision when I was 18 years old to raise my right hand just like you’re about to. I’m still a soldier, I’m just serving in space.”
More than 1,500 students in a packed Richland High theater and a 150 more in the school library watched while the astronaut answered questions submitted by recruits from across the country.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Applegate, a Tri-Cities Army recruiter, said Richland is one of their top schools for recruits, and he wanted to make sure their students got a chance to participate.
Isaiah Brodaczynski, a Richland High student, said it was pretty neat to get the oath from space.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Hanford High’s Eli Cooper.
The two future soldiers are nervous for their late June ship-out date when they report for basic training. They both had relatives who were in the Army and are helping them out.
The other three sworn in were Pedro Garcia of Southridge High, Bryan Edwards of Pasco High and Esai Robledo of Richland High.
After the oath, the onlookers gave the students a standing ovation.
Time in space
Morgan, a West Point graduate and a doctor, is in the middle of a nine-month stint on the space station and is expected to return to Earth in the spring.
Answering questions from students, he said life aboard the space station is fun and, at times, stressful, especially being separated from his family.
He also offered advice to recruits listening from across the country about overcoming obstacles in life.
“All things that are worth doing are hard,” he said. “As you set off on this journey, you will at some times hear that voice in your head that tells you maybe this isn’t for you and maybe you should quit now. .... That is your signal that what you are doing is worth doing.”
He also said the Army needs soldiers with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds. About a third of the specialties in the Army require STEM backgrounds.
He added that people should do it because they love it or it’s on the path to something that they will love.
“Then I would tell you to do the hard stuff first,” he said. “If you have multiple academic interests and you have a STEM interest do that first, because right now, your mind is best prepared for tackling subjects like that.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 3:22 PM.