When Aidan Kees begins attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point later this year, he'll be following a trail blazed for him by his grandfather and earlier graduates of Graham-Kapowsin High School. Kees, a senior at Graham-Kapowsin, learned recently he'd been accepted into the academy. He's been drawn to the service since joined Junior ROTC in his freshman year of high school. "My grandfather served in the Special Forces in Vietnam. That was my inspiration to join the Army, and that's why I joined JROTC,GÇ¥ Kees said. Michael Meray, who heads the school's JROTC unit, said Kees' success is well-deserved. "If I had to match him against some of the other kids that came through here, I'd say he's definitely top five. He's an amazing young man and I see him doing very well at West Point and as an Army officer,GÇ¥ Meray said. Kees is the third member of Graham-Kapowsin's JROTC to attend West Point in the 11 years since Meray started the unit. Meray, a retired chief warrant officer, said his students take a variety of post-high school paths. "There's kind of this misconception that everybody in JROTC joins the military, and it couldn't be further from the truth,GÇ¥ Meray said. "Probably less than 10 percent actually go into the service. So a lot of our kids continue on in school or go out into the workforce.GÇ¥
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