Owen receives appointment to U.S. Coast Guard Academy
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LETTER OF APPOINTMENT — Casey Owen, 2018 Boyceville High School graduate, displayed his letter of appointment as a cadet in the United States Coast Guard Academy. —photo submitted
By Amber Hayden
BOYCEVILLE — After taking part in the US Coast Guard Academy Scholars Program, Casey Owen of Boyceville will begin his appointment with the USCGA on July 1 in New London, CT.
Owen is the son of Jack and Kelly Owen who now reside in Menomonie.
“I’ve always wanted to attend one of the service academies,” Owen explained. “I feel great about being part of the Coast Guard for what it represents as far as service to others and helping those in need.”
Owen was accepted into the USCGA Scholars Program in July of 2018, and over the course of three trimesters, he completed 75 college credits as well as being accepted on the Georgia Military Academy rifle team.
As part of the GMC rifle team Owen had the opportunity to compete at the National NRA intercollegiate air rifle and small bore competition at Fort Benning, GA, where he finished in the middle of the pack in his rookie year.
Owen is hopeful that after rifle tryouts, he will be able to make the team as well as spend time at the rifle range.
“It would be an honor to become part of the rifle team for the USCGA,” he stated.
While at Georgia Military Academy, Owen explained that he enjoyed the opportunities he was given to travel to the Florida Keys and conduct research on parrot fish and their effect on the coral reefs.
“This was a great experience as this will be part of the curriculum while attending USGCA,” he said.
Georgia Military College was established in 1879 and has resided in Milledgville, GA, and at any time has roughly 250 Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students and 1,300 commuter students.
Despite the hot and sticky weather, Owen explained he did enjoy not having to deal with the snow and cold this past winter.
While part of the Scholars Program, Owen gained the knowledge of how capable he is at achieving his goals, as well as developing strong time management skills and team work with his shipmates.
Before being sworn in, Owen will be spending most of his free time working at the Boyceville Airport helping to rebuild and restore a J3 Piper Cub that will be displayed at the 2019 Oshkosh’s EAA Air Venture.
Owen will report to the USCGA in New London on Monday, July 1, as part of the Class of 2023. The academy is an accredited college which focuses on educating future Coast Guard officers.
With fewer than 400 appointments, offered annually from a pool of over 2,000 applicants the USCGA is highly competitive in their selections.
Cadets receive a full tuition scholarship to the academy along with a monthly stipend for a five year service commitment to the Coast Guard upon graduation.
Also all cadets will receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are guaranteed a position of leadership as a commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard.
