MONROE - After almost four years at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Chad Plenge is looking forward to his next assignment.
The 2007 Monroe High School graduate and son of David and Lori Plenge, will be a Second Lieutenant with the military police when he graduates in May. It's the job he always wanted, he said.
Plenge was home this week and he talked to students in Monroe and Darlington about the academy and what it can offer young people in search of a career. It's familiar territory for Plenge - he's helped with admissions and tours in the past at West Point.
"I try to pass on what I've learned," he said.
When he entered West Point in the fall of 2007, it was a culture shock. Leaving Monroe for the military academy, he said, took some getting used to.
"I was stressed out when I first got there," Plenge said, "I wasn't sure what to expect."
The days, he discovered, were long and filled with classes and training.
Now he's an upperclassman, and in the top 15 percent of his class, which is made up of about 1,100 cadets.
Plenge is all military. He walks straight, has a firm handshake. And his conversation is peppered with the word "sir."
Plenge said his first and second years were easy compared to his third and now final year - as his responsibilities increased.
Now he's in charge of 143 other cadets in his company. His job is to ensure they do well in academics, among other duties.
It's difficult at times, but he knows it's going to help him work with people serving under him in the command structure when he graduates.
"I love the responsibility," he said. "You have to make decisions."
After he graduates, he wants to go to either Germany or Fort Lewis in Washington. Both locations have a large contingent of military police officers, he said.
"I can't wait to go out and do my job," he smiled. "I'm prepared and ready to go."
He'll find out for sure where he will serve in February. The cadets who are going into military police will gather in a room to be notified of their orders.
Plenge said he'll miss the sense of history that's evident everywhere at the academy.
"When you study generals like (Dwight) Eisenhower or (Douglas) MacArthur, you realize 'Holy cow they were here.' This is really amazing," he said. "You don't realize the history of the place until you begin to think about who graduated from here."
Plenge returns to the academy until the end of the semester in December, and then he'll get to come home for a couple of weeks. In January, he starts his final semester.
It's an experience that not only has prepared him for the future educationally, but also socially.
"You know other people who have graduated with you at the academy," he said. "Wherever you go you'll have friends and you'll have the camaraderie with other people who graduated."
The 2007 Monroe High School graduate and son of David and Lori Plenge, will be a Second Lieutenant with the military police when he graduates in May. It's the job he always wanted, he said.
Plenge was home this week and he talked to students in Monroe and Darlington about the academy and what it can offer young people in search of a career. It's familiar territory for Plenge - he's helped with admissions and tours in the past at West Point.
"I try to pass on what I've learned," he said.
When he entered West Point in the fall of 2007, it was a culture shock. Leaving Monroe for the military academy, he said, took some getting used to.
"I was stressed out when I first got there," Plenge said, "I wasn't sure what to expect."
The days, he discovered, were long and filled with classes and training.
Now he's an upperclassman, and in the top 15 percent of his class, which is made up of about 1,100 cadets.
Plenge is all military. He walks straight, has a firm handshake. And his conversation is peppered with the word "sir."
Plenge said his first and second years were easy compared to his third and now final year - as his responsibilities increased.
Now he's in charge of 143 other cadets in his company. His job is to ensure they do well in academics, among other duties.
It's difficult at times, but he knows it's going to help him work with people serving under him in the command structure when he graduates.
"I love the responsibility," he said. "You have to make decisions."
After he graduates, he wants to go to either Germany or Fort Lewis in Washington. Both locations have a large contingent of military police officers, he said.
"I can't wait to go out and do my job," he smiled. "I'm prepared and ready to go."
He'll find out for sure where he will serve in February. The cadets who are going into military police will gather in a room to be notified of their orders.
Plenge said he'll miss the sense of history that's evident everywhere at the academy.
"When you study generals like (Dwight) Eisenhower or (Douglas) MacArthur, you realize 'Holy cow they were here.' This is really amazing," he said. "You don't realize the history of the place until you begin to think about who graduated from here."
Plenge returns to the academy until the end of the semester in December, and then he'll get to come home for a couple of weeks. In January, he starts his final semester.
It's an experience that not only has prepared him for the future educationally, but also socially.
"You know other people who have graduated with you at the academy," he said. "Wherever you go you'll have friends and you'll have the camaraderie with other people who graduated."