Congressman Smith To Host Military Academy Information Session

Congressman Chris Smith and Monmouth County Shaun Golden prepare to survey Hurricane Sandy damage. November, 2012

Congressman Chris Smith is holding a Service Academy Information night for high school and college students who are interested in attending one of the United States’ military academies. Students, their parents, educators and counselors who reside in New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District are welcome to attend.

The event will be held Thursday, April 21, 2016, from 5:30 to 7:30 in the lower level of the Wall Township Municipal Building, 2700 Allaire Road, Wall NJ.

“Throughout my tenure in Congress, I’ve had the honor and privilege of nominating many outstanding young men and women for acceptance into our nation’s military academies,” said Smith. “With the United States’ continued fight against terrorism throughout the globe and its commitment to defending our homeland and protecting national security interests abroad, recruiting top-notch talent for our all-volunteer armed forces is critically important.”

The military academies play an integral role in training young men and women to become tomorrow’s military leaders and affords them a collegiate education opportunity of the highest quality that is free of financial obligation, providing the student graduates and fulfills his or her service obligation. The academies are:

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland
The U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut.

The Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination. Students interested in a career in Coast Guard leadership can apply directly to the academy. They are still welcome to attend the information session and have their questions by Congressman Smith.

Members of Congress, U.S. Senators, the Vice President and the President may nominate constituents for acceptance to the academies. Residents of New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District, between ages 17 and 22 (17-25 for the Merchant Marine Academy), who are a U.S. citizen and are single with no dependents, can seek a nomination to one or more of the service academies through Congressman Smith’s office. Interested candidates can start the application process as early as the spring of their junior year in high school.

The information session is free and open to the public. For additional information, please call Smith’s Freehold office at (732) 780-3035.