Finance senior Felix (left and facing page) enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program across town at Howard University (below). Her classmates found her choice to pur- sue a career as an Air Force finance officer curious, but she racked up academic and service awards be- fore graduating in May. She plans to move to California, where she will be stationed with her husband, Andrew Hoft, at Los Angeles AFB. Felix enters active duty Oct. 1.
did two deployments to Qatar ... and I re- ally admired that.” A standout high
school student, Felix was accepted to all three service acad- emies and Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., but decided to attend Georgetown. Although she could have enrolled in Georgetown’s Army ROTC program, she chose the Air Force. “I just felt
[Georgetown] was Where Are They Now?
Shortly before graduation, these three cadets shared their stories about why they choose to serve. All three now are commissioned officers. Following graduation, 2nd Lt. Matthew McClary, USA, reported to
Fort Benning, Ga., where he will complete the infantry officer basic course before attending the U.S. Army Ranger School. His first duty assignment will be with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy. Ensign John P. Keilty III, USN, is stationed at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River, Md., and will begin pilot training at NAS Pensacola, Fla., later this year. 2nd Lt. Valerie Felix, USAF, was married May 30. She received a
delay before going on active duty so she and her husband could serve residents of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area through her local church. She will enter active duty Oct. 1 and will be stationed with her husband at Los Angeles AFB.
a better fit in terms of academics … and when I found out there was an Air Force ROTC program nearby, I thought this is a great option where I can pursue both [my academic inter- ests] and prepare to be an officer in the military,” says Felix. Felix says being an ROTC cadet
sets her apart from her classmates. In fact, many of her peers find it curious that she aspires to be an Air Force finance officer, rather than work on Wall Street. “I think being a first-generation
American, I really do want to make a better future for my future family and future children … by serving in whatever capacity I can,” she says. In the past four years, Felix has
stacked up an impressive list of achievements, making the dean’s list at Georgetown and achieving a 4.0 GPA in her Air Force ROTC courses. She’s also received more than 23 Air Force ROTC awards, includ- ing the George C. Marshall/Henry “Hap” Arnold ROTC Award, a Na- tional Defense Industrial Association award and $3,000 scholarship, and USAA’s “Top Gun” Outstanding Achievement Award for achieving a first-place ranking following a field training exercise. Felix currently is making plans to marry fellow Air Force ROTC cadet Andrew Hoft, and she hopes their first assignments will allow them to be stationed together. While she be- lieves it’s unlikely, she can’t help but wonder whether one or both of them will get deployed. “We are definitely of the same
mind-set,” Felix says of her fiancé. “The military does sometimes re- quire a sacrifice. But we would defi- nitely hope that we both rise to the occasion and just trust that every- thing would work out.”
MO
— Contributing Editor Kris Ann Hegle writes for Chapters in Action, page 40. Her last feature article for Military Officer was “netWorking for You,” October 2009.
AU G U S T 2 0 1 0 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R 6 9
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