For the week of March 23, 2008

High school students planning to attend college have a broad range of options today. The news for students and for our country is that more young people than ever before are taking advantage of the opportunity to earn a college degree.

As a graduate of Wentworth Military Academy Junior College and of the University of Missouri, I can attest to the outstanding schools that Missouri has to offer. But as students consider their higher education options, I would like to encourage students to take a look at the opportunities available at the U.S. Service Academies - the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, or the Merchant Marine Academy.

Young people in Missouri's Fourth Congressional District interested in attending a U.S. Service Academy should contact me. My office is now accepting applications from students interested in entering an academy in June 2008. I have an Academy Selection Committee that assists in making recommendations of young people qualified for a nomination. Each member of Congress may nominate up to ten applicants for an appointment each year. The academies make the ultimate appointment decisions.

Basic application requirements are as follows: the applicant must be a U.S. citizen; a legal resident of the Fourth Congressional District; at least 17 years old - but not older than 22; and unmarried and having no legal obligation for support of child or dependent.

The overall qualifications to determine selection of nominees are based on character, scholarship, leadership, aptitude, physical, and medical fitness, personal goals, and motivation. These factors are part of the "whole person" evaluation used by each of the academies in making selections. All of these qualities are required of an individual in order to meet the challenges encountered at the academies and following graduation as professional officers.

Those wanting to apply for a nomination to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, or the Merchant Marine Academy should write to my Sedalia office at the following address: Congressman Ike Skelton, 908 Thompson Boulevard, Sedalia, Missouri 65301. If you would like to call my office regarding the application process, please ask for Berna Dean Nierman of my staff at (660) 826-2675. More information on U.S. service academies is also available through links on my web site at http://www.house.gov/skelton.

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