GMC News
GMC United States Military Academy Scholar Accepts Appointment
GMC United States Military Academy Scholar Accepts Appointment
Each year, United States (U.S.) Service Academies select students across the country for appointments to their institutions. During the selection process, the Academies also identify students that need an additional year of academics to better prepare them for the Academy and through their foundations, award them a Preparatory Scholarship. Georgia Military College serves as a Preparatory School for the U.S. Military, Coast Guard, Naval and Air Force Academies. Last year, the West Point Association of Graduates sponsored Cadet Harry Combs to attend GMC. He joined the GMC Corps of Cadets in the fall of 2018 with the hope of attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and at the end of the winter quarter, Combs received his appointment.
The Florida native applied to USMA after he graduated high school, but was denied. He applied again after taking a few classes at a community college in near his hometown, but was denied again, but was soon contacted by a recruiter with the United States Military Academy, recommending him to attend Georgia Military College for a year and then apply again. Combs accepted and says that was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
“Georgia Military College laid out a definite structure that I needed to be able to be successful at West Point,” Combs said. “Between the class structure and heavy course loads that we take at GMC, and the discipline and physical fitness, every element that’s a part of the Corps of Cadets has helped prepare me for what it’s going to be like when I go to the U.S. Military Academy.”
Attending the United States Military Academy has been a dream of Combs’ since he was a kid. His father is a West Point graduate and Combs says he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“I’ve known I wanted to go to West Point since middle school,” Combs said. “It’s a great school academically, and you’re challenged there physically, and I know they’re going to prepare me to be one of the best officers in the Army. That’s been my goal all along. My dad is a graduate of West Point and he became an officer and retired a Colonel so just watching him with all the opportunities he’s had to experience, I see how his education at West Point changed his life.”
Throughout his time at Georgia Military College, Combs has worked closely with the leadership cadre at GMC. Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV, President of Georgia Military College, says this appointment couldn’t go to anyone more deserving than Cadet Combs.
“We are thrilled that Harry received his acceptance to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point,” Caldwell said. “The academic, military, and character development programs we have at GMC are exemplary, and Harry took full advantage of the opportunities provided to him here and now is going to be a Cadet at West Point this summer. He is an exceptional young man who has excelled in every area, and serves as a role model for others. We all will be closely watching him as he moves on and continues to make a real difference in the lives of others. It has been a real honor for us to have been a part of the growth and accomplishments of Harry.”
