Kearney Graduates Find Career Paths in National Guard

Every student is eventually asked what they want to be when they grow up. Some don’t have a clue where they will be going after high school, and others have their life mapped out well beyond graduation. For Kearney Graduates Zach Winders and Matthew Lakin, the Missouri Army National Guard is the right fit and the next step they are excited to take.

Nothing gets me more excited than a kid that comes up and says I want to serve - Sgt. Tori Hoffman

Privates Winders and Lakin saw the opportunities that the National Guard would provide them after graduation such as paid college tuition, training in a career field they are interested in, and remaining close to family. After talking with their recruiter, Sgt. Tori Hoffman, they knew enlisting was the right decision for them.

Sgt. Hoffman enlisted in the National Guard while she was in high school as well. She knew she wanted to serve her country and would need help paying for college. She enlisted in the National Guard to be an Aviation Operations Specialist, which is a person who communicates with pilots during their flights. She then transferred into recruiting and retention.

“Nothing gets me more excited than a kid that comes up and says I want to serve. I just want people who want to serve, or make a change in their life,” said Hoffman, reflecting on why she is in recruitment. “A lot of times you can see those kids who may be heading down an ‘interesting’ path or the ones that really need help with college so they won’t be set back with debt. I just get excited anytime I can help set someone’s future up for success.”

My father was in the military and I wanted to continue in his footsteps - Pvt. Zach Winders

This is why Pvt. Winders enlisted in the National Guard. He wanted to take advantage of the college tuition incentive, but more than that to serve his country. He considered other branches of the military, but after talking with Sgt. Hoffman he ended up loving the idea of serving in the National Guard.

“I enlisted because I wanted to get all my college tuition paid for, and I wanted to serve something bigger than myself and serve my country,” said Winders. “My father was in the military and I wanted to continue in his footsteps. If I could go back, I would 100% join the National Guard again.”

Winders is shipping out to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for ten weeks of basic training. From there, he will be transferred to Fort Lee in Virginia for 15 weeks of Advanced Individual Training to learn the skills to become a wheeled vehicle mechanic.

This will be a new adventure for Pvt. Winders. Working on vehicles and mechanical things is a new interest for him: “It’s something I recently got into, and I knew the National Guard would help me get further knowledge on it.”

I enlisted because I really want to pursue a career in some sort of mechanics - Pvt. Matthew Lakin

Pvt. Lakin joined the National Guard for the same reasons as Winders. He is also interested in mechanics and knew the National Guard would teach him the skills and pay for expensive training beyond his service.

“I enlisted because I really want to pursue a career in some sort of mechanics, and I knew it would be expensive for all the training,” said Lakin. “I knew that the National Guard would be a really good way to learn that ability and to be able to afford the training and schooling for that.”

Lakin is also shipping out to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for ten weeks of basic training. After that he will be going to Fort Eustis for 21 weeks of Advanced Individual Training to learn the skills to become an aviation mechanic.

Pvt. Lakin believes that this will be a positive experience for him. He knows that the National Guard will train him to become a successful mechanic: “I know I’m going to get a lot of skills that I’ve wanted to learn and continue to learn, and I know I’ll meet a lot of new people and create new bonds [with them], and enjoy it.”

The Missouri Army National Guard provides many opportunities such as free tuition to Missouri universities, health, dental and life insurance, sign-on bonuses, retirement plans, and paid job training in over 100 jobs. Not only does it provide those tangible things, but more importantly, the National Guard provides a chance for young people like Pvts. Winders and Lakin to serve their country and community. That’s something that Sgt. Hoffman respects in all her recruits.

“All of these individuals have made a huge commitment to their country and community, as well as themselves,” Hoffman stated. “I couldn’t be more proud of them for that.”

For more information about opportunities, jobs, and enlisting in the Missouri Army National Guard, you can contact Sgt. Hoffman on Facebook by searching SgtHoffmanTori, emailing Tori.L.Hoffman2.mil@mail.mil or by visiting NationalGuard.com.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story