SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii-- Sgt. Trevor Nakata, a radar repairman from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 25th Division Artillery, 25th Infantry Division, here, has been selected to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point this summer.
Nakata, a third-generation Soldier from Oahu, knew that he had more to learn and wanted to contribute more to the military.
“My goal was to eventually go to college, get my degree, and hopefully transition into green to gold,” said Nakata.
A West Point senior leader reached out to the 25th ID leadership and offered for Tropic Lightning Soldiers with an interest in the Academy the opportunity to come see the West Point Black Knights football team play at their home stadium.
“Their sergeant major reached out to 25th ID, asking for soldiers to visit the school,” Nakata said. “So I went to the school, shadowed the cadets, and saw their classes and activities.”
At this point, Nakata felt a warm spirit from the school and felt confident in applying to West Point.
“What really impressed me was the Alumni, so much school spirit,” Nakata said. “There’s nothing to lose if I apply, so I might as well.”
When the news came out about his acceptance, Nakata could not contain his joy. However, he knew that despite his experience as a non-commissioned officer, transitioning to a cadet would not be an easy adaptation.
“I feel like the change is going to be the biggest shock to me,” Nakata said. “I’m going back to basically basic training for a little bit, so that change is going to build me up again.”
Even though Nakata thought the transition would be challenging for him, he looked forward to the positives. For instance, he knew that sharing his military experience with future soldiers in training would be a great opportunity.
“Now, as a cadet, I’m going to be with people who don’t have any military experience,” he said. “I’ve definitely got to be modest about it, but I want to be able to share my experiences with them, and at the same time, they can teach me. I’ve been out of school for 3 years so they can help me a lot with academics.”
Nakata's enlistment contract stated that he would be stationed in Hawaii for three years. However, with reassignment orders for West Point, his time would be cut short. He realized that this dramatically affects his family who still lives here.
“My family is sad to see me go, because my time on island was supposed to be longer,” Nakata said. “But at the same time, my parents couldn’t be prouder, and they keep telling me that I got this.”
Nakata is the third on his father’s side of the family to be in the Army, will be the second to commission, and the first to attend West Point. He is scheduled to begin his schooling in July 2019.