“Just watch this,” says David Sargent, Alec Sargent’s dad as his son ducks into his room to change from the typical teen uniform, a T-shirt and baggy shorts, into his Army fatigues. “He goes in in civilian clothes but when he comes out you see why it’s more than a piece of clothing. You begin to understand why the uniform is a sacred piece of clothing.”

David adds that, over the last year since Alec enlisted, strangers have continually approached him to offer their thanks for his willingness to serve in the military.

“Complete strangers have even offered to buy him dinner,” said David with obvious pride.

The same is true at South Summit High School where Alec is completing his senior year while also attending weekly soldier-in-training classes at the Army Recruiting Office in Murray and monthly drills at Fort Douglas.

“The first day of school this year I got a lot of strange looks, but now I think others are starting to think about enlisting too,” he said.

According to Alec, enlisting was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. “I have always wanted to do this. It was always my goal.”

Even when he was too young to apply, Alec said he liked to “hang around” at the table in the high school hallway when military recruiters came to talk with students. One of those recruiters, Staff Sergeant Josephine Lopez, remembers those days.

“I remember when he was 16 he came to my table and said, ‘One of these days I am going in the Army,'” said Lopez.

Sure enough, as soon as Alec turned 17, he was back at her table. But because he was still a minor, he needed his parents’ consent. So Lopez made an appointment to sit down with the Sargents at their home in Kamas.

Clara, Alec’s stepmom was not surprised. “When Alec was little I could already see it. He was fascinated by the military. He would line up his little toy soldiers,” she said.

David jokes that he got his first hint that Alec might be interested in the military when he got a concerned call from the middle school principal who said, “Your son wrote on his career choices that he wanted to be a sniper.”

Alec admits that video games played heavily into his initial enthusiasm about the military. “But now I understand that it is so much more.

“It’s the biggest decision I have ever had to make,” he said, adding that knowing his college education is paid for was also an important part of the equation.

But his overriding motivation comes from the opportunity to serve his country.

“What makes me happy is if I can help the nation as a whole. In my mind I see that as helping to keep my family safe too.”

At first, David said he was somewhat taken by surprise. “He came home and told us he was getting married and that he wanted to go enlist. We wondered why, and when Sgt. Lopez came over we expressed our concerns, mostly about his safety.”

Since then David has embraced his oldest son’s decision. “It was his choice, and suddenly I realized he had grown up and I couldn’t say no. I am just really proud of him.”

Lopez is also pleased. “He is the best recruit I’ve put in the Army to date. I am looking for a mind frame, someone who is mentally stable and prepared to overcome challenges. Alec is the type of person I am looking for,” she said

Alec’s fiancé Bianca Greeff, who is also a South Summit High School senior, still harbors a few mixed feelings about his plans, mostly because it means they will be apart while he goes through basic training and during future deployments.

“She was scared,” said Alec, “but she is an amazing person and now she is objective about it.” The two are planning a December wedding when Alec returns from basic training.

The whole family including Bianca attended Alec’s induction ceremony. “I walked in with nine others and stood at attention. I couldn’t believe it was happening. For me the most meaningful part was that thousands of others had taken the same oath.”

Alec and Bianca will celebrate their high school graduation May 24. On June 11 he will ship out to start basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. When Alec returns, he will be enrolled at Utah Valley University and will be part of the ROTC program. Then, at the end of his freshman year, it is likely that he will be deployed to Afghanistan.

At this point, the young soldier says he is eager to get on the battlefield.

“I hope to get commissioned to the infantry. I definitely want to see combat and I want to go to Ranger school,” said Alec.