January 4, 2006

Military choice career for trio

TC graduates forge futures based on life spent in the Army

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       Three area high school graduates have spent their adult life serving their country and forging a future based on the leadership, training and skills honed during four years at West Point.
      Ben Boekestein and Tony Wills, graduates of the 2002 class, are captains as of this fall. Dusty Healy, who graduated from the military academy two years behind them, is a first lieutenant and Blackhawk pilot. This article is another in a periodic snapshot of the lives of these notable local men.
     
      Infantry All the Way
      Dreaming of West Point since he was in ninth grade, Ben Boekestein knew infantry was his destiny. The 1998 West High School graduate completed his military academy degree in 2002 and deployed to Iraq the next spring as a young lieutenant. Promoted to captain in September after completing the Army's six-month Captain's School, Boekestein has been assigned to the readiness training center at Fort Polk, La.
      Helping train units deploying to Iraq, Boekestein would in some ways rather be serving more directly. But he will do his duty to make sure these soldiers are as prepared as possible.
      "From the day I got into West Point, I wanted infantry," said Boekestein, who also completed both the Ranger and Airborne schools. "My track's been great, I wouldn't do it over."
      Boekestein commanded a platoon in a light company for 14 months, starting in Iraq. From that experience, he gained a deep respect and appreciation for the non-commissioned officer corps.
      "They are the backbone of the army, I've got so much respect for them," said Boekestein, who has a degree in operations research. "The senior enlisted are incredible, the NCOs especially. In Iraq, I stepped into a great platoon and I had the best platoon sergeant ever."
      Next, he commanded a specialty anti-armor platoon for ten months before being tapped for Captain's School, located at Fort Benning, Ga. There, he trained with aspiring captains from throughout the Army and around the world, drawn to the school's reputation for excellence.
      "The Army knows how to create leaders, they have to: that's their future," said Boekestein, adding in general: "The Army is very much merit based, sometimes you get the guys who slide through, but the system works."
      "If I were 18 and had it to do all over again, I would do it," he concluded.
     
      Family Man
      The youngest of seven siblings, as an adult Tony Wills' family is still his number one priority. Married just a week after graduating from West Point, Wills and his wife, Kristen, now have two children: Mackenzie, almost 2 and Tyler, four months.
      Promoted to captain in September, Wills plans to leave the Army when his commitment is up in 2007. The 1998 St. Francis High School graduate and sports standout plans to settle down in Florida near his wife's family and a sibling there. Already in contact with headhunting firms specializing in highly marketable West Point grads, he plans to establish a career based on his academy and Army training.
      "I definitely think all the leadership skills and the organizational skills and the way you are able to deal with diversity are key," said Wills, who has a bachelor's of science in general management with a minor in engineering. "The skills you learn make sure you have your priorities straight at a young age."
      Wills has been stationed at Fort Sill, Okla., for the past three and a half years, serving as an executive officer. He joined his battalion just after they returned from Iraq and has not deployed to any hot zones himself.
      "Never in my life did I think I would live in Oklahoma, but it worked out that I didn't deploy," he said. "My timing was amazing."
      Reflecting on leaving the military after what will be nearly a decade, Wills praised the stability of the profession, the solid friendships and structure it gave his life. His biggest regret in exiting the Army will be leaving the close-knit group of soldiers and families.
      "I'm going to miss the people," he said.
     
      Dashing Pilot
      A hockey star at a young age, the Army recruited Dusty Healy a year out of high school, hoping to beef up their West Point team. Healy, a 1999 Central High School graduate, spent a year playing Junior A hockey in Canada before the Army came calling.
      Never having thought of attending the military academy before, he agreed to visit the campus and knew it was right.
      "When I saw the campus, I was like, 'Wow!'¡" he recalled. "It would be impossible to pass up an opportunity to go to a school like this."
      Playing varsity hockey all four years around a rigorous academic schedule and other Army commitments was a challenge.
      "It was hard to balance both academics and sports but I think it was worth it because without the sports I wouldn't have survived," Healy noted. "I think my family kept me focused, like my father, and my dream of going into aviation because you had to finish on the Dean's list every semester."
      Realizing early that 'running around on the ground' was not for him, Healy set his sights on being a pilot. After graduating from West Point with a degree in operations research, he went to Fort Rucker, Ala., for a 14-month flight school. Graduating in September as a Blackhawk pilot, Healy is now a first lieutenant with an air assault battalion stationed in Oahu, Hawaii.
      "It's frickin' awesome, I enjoy it all," said Healy, who has learned to surf in his spare time. "There's no question about it, I wouldn't trade it for the world."
      Healy joined the group just after they returned from Afghanistan and he will be deploying with them next August to Iraq. As executive officer for a task force in a maintenance company, he is technically in charge of 130 people.
      "I love being a leader," said Healy.