WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) announced the three Service Academy Appointees from Texas’s 19th Congressional District.

Mr. Jett Watson, Naval Academy Appointee, is from Lubbock and is a senior at Monterey High School. He is the son of Bradley and Kimberly Watson. Jett is a member of the National Honor Society, the Track/Cross Country team, and the school’s band. Jett said that “the calling to serve does not exist in every heart…the United States Naval Academy is hardly a choice for the weak of heart.”

Mr. Cody Buczyma, Military Academy (West Point) Appointee, is from Merkel and is a senior at Merkel High School. He is the son of Richard and Donna Buczyma. Cody is a member of the Student Council, the Debate Club and the football team. He believes this is what he “is being called to do, and it is a call I will answer wholeheartedly and with the best of my ability for as long as I am capable.”

Mr. David Ortiz, Air Force Appointee, is from Shallowater and is a senior at Frenship High School in Wolfforth. He is the son of Joe David Ortiz and Rebecca Peña Ortiz. David played football and basketball and is a member of the Academic Honors Club. His “deep sense of commitment to America has proven to be more and more influential on my life as I found myself drawn to the life of an Air Force officer.”

“I am proud of all three Service Academy appointees.” Representative Neugebauer says of the appointees from the 19th District of Texas. “United States service academies offer an outstanding education and a chance to serve one’s country. Choosing to attend a Service Academy is not college choice; it is a career choice. I nominated these three young men because I recognized in each one the tremendous spirit and drive it takes to succeed in the military. The opportunities unfolding before them are limitless, and I look forward to seeing what their futures hold.”

Mr. Watson, Mr. Buczyma and Mr. Ortiz will be graduates of the class of 2016 and will go on to serve in the Navy, Army, and Air Force, respectively, for five years of active duty and three years of reserve duty.

Appointees are chosen after a very competitive application process. Each year, Representative Neugebauer selects nominees based on the merit of each candidate’s application packet. Service academies then offer appointments from among the nominees selected by the Representative.

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If you or someone you know might be interested in applying for a future Service Academy Nomination, Representative Neugebauer is pleased to host two Academy Forums on Saturday, March 3rd.

The forum in Lubbock will be held at the Science Spectrum located at 2579 South Loop 289. (Enter the Science Education Center on south side off of 74th Street).  Registration begins at 10 a.m. and participants are urged to take advantage of the opportunity to visit with program participants before the formal presentations begin at 10:30 a.m.

The Abilene forum will take place at Cisco Junior College (Room 152) located at 717 East Industrial Blvd.  Registration will begin at 1:30 with the presentations beginning at 2 p.m.

Liaison officers from the Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy have been invited to speak and answer any questions regarding the academies or the application process. Representative Neugebauer will make opening remarks and meet prospective students and their parents.

Students at the sophomore, junior, and senior level would most benefit from this forum, but all students, including middle school students, are encouraged to attend.  Parents, counselors, and teachers are also invited.  The forum is a come and stay event (not come and go).  The forum is free and open to the public.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Mary Whistler in the Lubbock office at (888) 763-1611.

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