Laird heading to West Point

North Vermilion’s Colin Laird, whose father served in the U.S. Army, has held military aspirations for a long time.
After Laird graduates from NV on May 17, he will take a big step toward turning his military ambition into a reality. Laird has been accepted and will officially enroll this summer at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
“I feel honored,” Laird said. “It is a really hard school to get into, so I am glad that it came through. I feel relieved, really.
“The process to get in is intense and I have worked on it for more than two years.”
The process of getting accepted is a big hurdle. Along with applying and being accepted based on entry standards, candidates must receive a nomination from, for example, a congressman.
Laird received his official nomination from U.S. Rep Charles Boustany, but also received nominations from Louisiana’s two senators, David Vitter and Mary Landrieu.
Laird is not the first North Vermilion student to receive such a nomination. Jared Broussard, a 2010 graduate, received a nomination on his way to the Air Force Academy.
“I was on the wrestling team with Jared,” Laird said. “I was younger and looked up to him. That is where I first learned about the service academies.
“I just took it from there.”
Getting everything in order has been all on Laird.
“I don’t think people realize how hard it is to get into that school,” said Laird’s mother, Marcie Viator. “The amazing thing is, I haven’t done one thing to get him into that school. Well, he asked me to mail something for him one time. I put a stamp on the letter and mailed it.
“That has been the level of my involvement.”
There has been plenty of moral support, of course. That support will remain home when Laird leaves for West Point, N.Y., in June.
“It’s going to be very tough to send him off,” Viator said. “I could go with him and hand deliver him, but he wants me to put him on a plane and then just join him in August, after he gets out of basic training and school starts.”
Laird shares his mother’s sentiments on leaving home for a school that is more than 1,200 miles away.
“It will be tough being that far from home,” Laird said. “That’s life. You have to learn to deal with it and roll with it, wherever the opportunity is.”
The opportunities in West Point are countless. The school has produced two U.S. presidents, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as many famous generals. The 212-year-old academy has also produced myriad successful alumni in other top fields. Laird is happy to take footsteps in an atmosphere that helped mold those men and women.
“If you go to a civilian college,” Laird said, “there is no one pushing you and it’s more laid back. I like the idea of an atmosphere where people are pushing you to do your best.”
Again, West Point aligns with Laird’s military goal.
“At West Point you get more choices and opportunity,” Laird said of this military route compared to joining out of high school. “You get a head start because you have an education that is faithful and you are an officer in the military.”
While in school, the students are referred to as cadets and are considered officers-in-training. Upon graduation, a majority are commissioned as second lieutenants. Graduates must give five years of active duty and three years in the reserves if he or she opts to quit activity duty after the five years. That will not likely be an issue for Laird.
“I am definitely thinking of making the military as my career,” Laird said.
It is a similar path taken by his father, Don Tate.
“He was in the Army,” Laird said. “He is working now as a civilian at Fort Bragg (North Carolina). He is proud of me.”
So is Laird’s mother.
“You have no idea,” Viator said with a laugh. “I am very proud of him. Just check my Facebook and you will get tired of hearing about it.”
It is well-deserved pride, according to Stanton Hardee, a Kaplan native who is a West Point alum.
“Getting accepted is a big deal,” Hardee said. “My advice is two main things. First, build a close relationship with Jesus Christ. Second, get in top physical condition by running long distances, doing pushups and situps, all without resting. When you are getting hollered at from 5:20 a.m. to 10 p.m., and your parents are not around, Jesus Christ and your physical conditioning are the two things that will get you through.”
Laird, a five-sport athlete at North Vermilion, said he is ready for whatever the coming months and years bring.
“I am focused,” Laird said. “It is going to be tough, but I am ready to put in the work that needs to be done.
“I am ready for the challenge.”