Salute To Service
November 09, 2017 | Football
The following story can be found in the Nov. 11 Mississippi State Football Game Program, which can be purchased for $5 in and around Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
By: SrA Marisa Barron, an Airman in the 186th ARW, Meridian, Miss.
Mississippi State is proud to be the educational option of student veterans, dependents of past and current service members, as well as offer current students the opportunity to join the military through the Army and Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).
Three Bulldogs are enrolled in the ROTC program, Joel Baldwin and Brett Armour in the Army ROTC program and Blake Armour in the Air Force ROTC. Already carrying the load of being a student and an athlete, the three also have the load of being cadets.
Wearing three different hats can sometimes be difficult, but for the three cadets, staying organized is the key to their success.
"I have to communicate between my coaches, my superiors at ROTC and my fellow cadets," Blake Armour said. "It is always good to have someone that I can ask because I miss a lot. So I have to make sure I am communicating with them at all times and writing things down. We have to stay organized and make sure we stay on schedule. It is good to have good relationships with people because they can help keep you up to date on what is going on. It is tough, but if you put forth the effort you can make it."
"It is a give and take," Baldwin said. "There is always times where I have something going on with both obligations so I am constantly having to decide which one is more important and where I need to be for each event. I just kind of take it as I go. So far things have been smooth on both sides with my higher-ups allowing me to be where I need to be."
"The two big things for me is time management and communication," Brett Armour said. "Keeping in touch with my coach and my master sergeant in the ROTC program and making sure they know where I am is big. During the weekend we played Texas A&M, we had field training exercises and I had to make the call of which one was more important, so I went to do my training. It all comes down to me staying in touch, keeping track of my assignments and having to make the decision of which task is more important to me as a student, a cadet and a football player."
Brighton, Tenn. natives, the brother duo of Brett and Blake Armour, both knew joining the military was something they wanted to pursue to continue their family legacy.
"My senior year I applied to the Naval Academy," Brett Armour said. "That was where I wanted to go initially. My grandfather was Navy, a Pearl Harbor World War II veteran, so everyone was trying to get me to go Navy, but the academy did not pan out for me. Coming here to Mississippi State, I was worried about scholarship money and paying for school. I looked online and saw they had the Army ROTC program, I wanted Navy, but I gave them a call before I came for orientation expressed my interest in wanting to join their program and it just kind of happened."
Younger brother Blake Armour is a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering. After completion of the Air Force ROTC program and getting his gold bar to become a 2nd Lieutenant, Armour wants to become a pilot upon graduation.
Older brother Brett Armour is a Sophomore majoring in mathematics and getting a minor in Physics. After completing his degree and obtaining his 2nd Lieutenant rank, Armour wants to become a part of the Army Infantry.
Joel Baldwin, a Tupelo, Miss. native, is a junior majoring in political science with interest in working with campaign politics. Baldwin knew he wanted to serve his country in some way and the Army ROTC program just felt like the best fit for him.
"Coming out of high school, I knew I wanted to serve in some way, but at that point in my career, I was more concerned with my football career and trying to figure out where I wanted to go with it," Baldwin said. "I knew I wanted to play in the SEC and I am a long snapper so there aren't many scholarships to be given coming out of high school. I knew I wanted to play in the SEC and Mississippi State was a great fit. I loved the coach, the program and the work ethic they have here so I decided to come here. Three years down the line, I felt I could handle ROTC, so I decided to give it a shot."
Few people would be able to say they were an SEC football player and obtained an officer's rank all while attending college, but for these three, they will have done the unthinkable for many.
"Not a lot of people will be able to say they have done what I have done," Baldwin said. "I think it is something to be proud of later in life. It has taken a lot of work and it will continue to take a lot of work, so I think anything that you work for with that much effort is something to be proud of. I am happy I have done it."
"If anyone would have told me three years ago that I would be Army ROTC and an SEC football player at Mississippi State, I would have told them they were crazy," Brett Armour said. "I am right where I want to be. I did not expect to be here, but God works in mysterious ways."
By: SrA Marisa Barron, an Airman in the 186th ARW, Meridian, Miss.
Mississippi State is proud to be the educational option of student veterans, dependents of past and current service members, as well as offer current students the opportunity to join the military through the Army and Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).
Three Bulldogs are enrolled in the ROTC program, Joel Baldwin and Brett Armour in the Army ROTC program and Blake Armour in the Air Force ROTC. Already carrying the load of being a student and an athlete, the three also have the load of being cadets.
Wearing three different hats can sometimes be difficult, but for the three cadets, staying organized is the key to their success.
"I have to communicate between my coaches, my superiors at ROTC and my fellow cadets," Blake Armour said. "It is always good to have someone that I can ask because I miss a lot. So I have to make sure I am communicating with them at all times and writing things down. We have to stay organized and make sure we stay on schedule. It is good to have good relationships with people because they can help keep you up to date on what is going on. It is tough, but if you put forth the effort you can make it."
"It is a give and take," Baldwin said. "There is always times where I have something going on with both obligations so I am constantly having to decide which one is more important and where I need to be for each event. I just kind of take it as I go. So far things have been smooth on both sides with my higher-ups allowing me to be where I need to be."
"The two big things for me is time management and communication," Brett Armour said. "Keeping in touch with my coach and my master sergeant in the ROTC program and making sure they know where I am is big. During the weekend we played Texas A&M, we had field training exercises and I had to make the call of which one was more important, so I went to do my training. It all comes down to me staying in touch, keeping track of my assignments and having to make the decision of which task is more important to me as a student, a cadet and a football player."
Brighton, Tenn. natives, the brother duo of Brett and Blake Armour, both knew joining the military was something they wanted to pursue to continue their family legacy.
"My senior year I applied to the Naval Academy," Brett Armour said. "That was where I wanted to go initially. My grandfather was Navy, a Pearl Harbor World War II veteran, so everyone was trying to get me to go Navy, but the academy did not pan out for me. Coming here to Mississippi State, I was worried about scholarship money and paying for school. I looked online and saw they had the Army ROTC program, I wanted Navy, but I gave them a call before I came for orientation expressed my interest in wanting to join their program and it just kind of happened."
Younger brother Blake Armour is a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering. After completion of the Air Force ROTC program and getting his gold bar to become a 2nd Lieutenant, Armour wants to become a pilot upon graduation.
Older brother Brett Armour is a Sophomore majoring in mathematics and getting a minor in Physics. After completing his degree and obtaining his 2nd Lieutenant rank, Armour wants to become a part of the Army Infantry.
Joel Baldwin, a Tupelo, Miss. native, is a junior majoring in political science with interest in working with campaign politics. Baldwin knew he wanted to serve his country in some way and the Army ROTC program just felt like the best fit for him.
"Coming out of high school, I knew I wanted to serve in some way, but at that point in my career, I was more concerned with my football career and trying to figure out where I wanted to go with it," Baldwin said. "I knew I wanted to play in the SEC and I am a long snapper so there aren't many scholarships to be given coming out of high school. I knew I wanted to play in the SEC and Mississippi State was a great fit. I loved the coach, the program and the work ethic they have here so I decided to come here. Three years down the line, I felt I could handle ROTC, so I decided to give it a shot."
Few people would be able to say they were an SEC football player and obtained an officer's rank all while attending college, but for these three, they will have done the unthinkable for many.
"Not a lot of people will be able to say they have done what I have done," Baldwin said. "I think it is something to be proud of later in life. It has taken a lot of work and it will continue to take a lot of work, so I think anything that you work for with that much effort is something to be proud of. I am happy I have done it."
"If anyone would have told me three years ago that I would be Army ROTC and an SEC football player at Mississippi State, I would have told them they were crazy," Brett Armour said. "I am right where I want to be. I did not expect to be here, but God works in mysterious ways."
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