C-M senior devotes summer to military service
Jeremy Soyring, a Cadet senior airman with Civil Air Patrol’s Washington Squadron 601, will be spending the summer before his senior year at Canon-McMillan a bit differently than his classmates.
Soyring left June 17 for Fort Jackson, N.C., where he is spending 10 weeks in basic training as a private first class with the U.S. Army Reserves as part of their early enlistment program.
“I have always had an interest in the military. It is a great way to serve my country and grow more. On my 17th birthday, the first day I was eligible, I signed up for the U.S. Army Reserve early enlistment program,” Soyring said.
He said that volunteering with Civil Air Patrol helped prepare him for military service.
“My Civil Air Patrol training, especially basic encampment, not only furthered my interest in serving, but also better prepared me for basic training,” he said.
Since January 2012, Soyring has been a member of the Washington County unit of CAP, an all-volunteer, civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Nationwide, CAP has more than 61,000 members who train and participate in search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and the organization’s youth programs.
Capt. Edward Silassy of Canonsburg, commander of Washington Squadron 601, said Soyring’s participation in CAP will help him face challenges ahead.
“Pvt. 1st Class Soyring is an outstanding cadet,” Silassy said. “I have no doubt, given his dedication to CAP and its missions, that he will be a very successful and valuable part of our country’s military. It has been a privilege to watch him grow into the impressive young man he is today.”
During basic training, Soyring will work as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. He will return home to complete his senior year, then return to military service with the Army Reserves.
The Washington County unit of CAP meets every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the National Guard Armory in Washington. For more information, visit Squadron 601’s website, https://sites.google.com/site/pasquadron601/, or on Facebook at CAP Washington Composite Squadron 601.