When you ask a six year old boy what he wants to be when he grows up you receive a variety of answers… Whee whoo whee whoo, a policeman zooming around the corner to catch a criminal. Maybe a firefighter, running into burning buildings throwing people over their shoulders to run them to safety, or even the President of the United States. When you ask 6 year old Jack Foley, his answer is always the same;

“I want to be in the military”, he says.

Jack is a senior at Goffstown High School. His biggest inspiration has always been his grandfather, Leslie P Mason Jr., who served in the military for 23 years. He was a shorter man – only about 5’6” – but don’t let that fool you. He was often called by his nickname “Nitroglycerin”, a yellow liquid used in explosives like dynamite, because he was small but powerful. Jack’s grandfather was a Green Beret in the Vietnam War, an army ranger, and then retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Unfortunately, when Jack was 8 years old, Leslie Mason Jr. passed away from what started as lung cancer, and then turned into full body cancer. He developed this cancer from a gas called Agent Orange that he was surrounded by during his time serving in the Vietnam War. Today, Jack’s grandfather is still a huge inspiration in his life, even though he is not physically here. Jack says he was “quiet, never bragged even though the Green Beret was the special forces of the army… he was very humble in what he did.”

Jack is now 17 years old and a senior at Goffstown High School. Although he has grown immensely as a person over the years, his values and passions in life have remained the same. Jack has always believed in helping others, regardless if they are his friend or not. He believes in sacrificing parts of his life to aid others. Most importantly, Jack values integrity; being honest and having strong morals. Jack has now decided he wants to join the Marine Corps and is planning on enlisting in September of 2019.

The Marine Corps is known to be the most challenging branch of the military, and that’s why Jack chose it. Jack says he feels like he was called to the marines and wants to push his strengths. He feels extremely confident in this decision. This is what he has always wanted to do since he was a child, and now that the time is coming close, Jack has never been more thrilled “ I’ll finally be able to do something that I’m really passionate about” he says. Jack is excited for the challenge and the secure brotherhood of the marines. However, he also is educated in the risks and hardships that this decision will bring as well.

“Obviously it’s not going to be a walk in the park” Jack states. He knows he will need extreme mental strength to not only get through training but the entire adventure overall. He recognizes that he will need to learn to give up certain things in life that most people take for granted every day. Jacks strongest fear is how his future relationships will be affected. “Takes a certain type of person to marry someone who may not come home one day” he says. A lot can happen, and you don’t know what life will throw at you. Even though there are risks and challanges that he will need to overcome, Jack has never felt more passionate about anything, and he is ready to face this head on.

Jack strives to be a role model for other young adults who are looking into joining the military. He has been involved in CAP (Civil Air Patrol) for a little over a year now. In CAP, Jack has a lot of responsibility being the senior master sergeant and is in charge of the flight cadets.

He is soon going to be promoted to flight commander or first sergeant. He also recently stayed at Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania for 9 days with other future military members. It was a treacherous week of hard work and a look into what the Marines will be like.

When Jack talks to others who are looking to join the military he advises them to talk to all different recruiters to get a good look at all your options. He also pushes kids to stay focused on school. To get into the military you need to pass the ASVAB test, which will determine what jobs you qualify for. “Don’t just use the military as a fall back” he warns.

Jack has had a lot of ups and downs in life, but the one thing he has always been sure about is joining the military. It is what he is passionate about and what he is driven to do. If you know Jack, you know that once he has a vision there is no stopping him until he succeeds. Jack will soon turn his dream into a reality and change the world.