The decision to attend a military academy can raise many questions. To provide some answers, U.S. Rep. Dale Strong hosted a meet-and-greet event with the academy’s members on August 17 in Huntsville, Alabama.

Strong, who represents Alabama’s 5th Congressional District, hosted his first Military Service and Academy Day in 2023 to help students and families navigate the nomination process. Due to its success, the event is now held annually in late summer. Representatives from each military service academy, as well as other military service opportunities such as the National Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary, set up booths, provide information and answer questions.

The event began with a welcoming speech by District Principal Dylan Smith, who filled in for Strong, who was ill and unable to attend. Smith thanked parents for supporting their students and students for their willingness to serve in the armed forces in some capacity.

“You should be proud that you are different,” Smith told the students. “You stand out from your peers, and you all possess the leadership qualities required to serve in any capacity in the United States military. We appreciate that; Congressman Strong appreciates that.”

He then turned the floor over to Major General Lori Robinson, commander of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. Robinson, a native of Paterson, New Jersey, arrived in Alabama six weeks ago. Before assuming command of AMCOM, she served as the 80th Commandant of Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. She was uniquely suited to addressing a crowd.

Robinson spoke about her path to West Point and told the students that it is different for everyone.

She said, “Everyone has their own path to military service, but for being here today and interested in all the different ways to serve in our military, I want to thank you. All of the organizations that are here today are happy that you are here and are interested in serving in one of them.”

Robinson then paused and shouted, “Go Army, beat Navy, beat Air Force.” She then smiled and said she might as well talk about the military academies now. She noted that while they all have their differences, much of what they do is the same; they all focus on developing high-character leaders for the nation.

“We’re going to need strong leaders in the future,” she said. “Look around our world and see what’s going on here. I don’t know what our nation will ask of our military in the years to come, but I do know we need strong leadership to do it.”

Speaking of strong leaders, Robinson said before she left West Point in June, she was with the cadets as they completed their summer military training. Leading them that day was a young cadet from Birmingham, Alabama, who was recently named First Captain for the 2024-2025 academic year, the highest position in the cadet chain of command.

“I say that because four or five years ago, she was probably sitting in some gymnasium or auditorium like this, thinking about West Point and whether that was the right path for her,” Robinson said.

She talked about the academic programs that are constantly evolving and expanding into areas like aerospace and cyberspace. She talked about the opportunities offered by Division One sports teams. She talked about military training and was honest about the commitment.

“I won’t tell you that I loved every day there,” she said. “It was tough, but going to a military academy is more than yourself. At any academy, it’s a team sport because it’s a challenging course with academic, physical and military activities. Ultimately, I think it’s also extremely rewarding, and I look back on my experience fondly.”

Robinson said one of her most memorable memories of her first visit to West Point was a poster she saw on the history department wall that read, “Much of the history we teach was made by the people we taught.” Alongside the phrase were pictures of famous military leaders — General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George S. Patton, General Douglas MacArthur and others.

“I think about the legacy that comes with the academies,” she said. “That’s part of the experience there. Our academies are not just a college or a university; they’re so much more than that. You can study business, engineering, history or whatever, but you really get a degree in character and leadership development when you leave one of the military academies. That’s the foundation of every single academy — training leaders of character who will lead our nation into the future and who can think flexibly and with direction.”

She encouraged the students to visit each booth and ask all their questions, and then gave them the same advice she always gave her cadets at West Point.

“Be positive, do your best and be a good teammate. This may sound very simple, but ultimately it is these three things that, if you keep them in mind every day, will lead you to be the best person and leader you can be.”

For more information on the Strong Military Academy nomination process and deadlines, visit https://strong.house.gov/services/military-academy-nominations.