PITTSBURG — With only some {dollars} to his title, Cadet Derrick Sumner, of Pittsburg, battled homelessness going into his freshman 12 months of faculty.
Earlier this month, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and could have accomplished his bachelor’s diploma in psychology. And subsequent month, he’ll be acknowledged in a nationwide ceremony.
“He’s a chief instance of somebody who succeeded towards all odds,” stated 1st Lt. Taylor Wiebe, assistant professor of navy science at Pittsburg State College. “Not too many individuals can say they’ve a 600 on their Military Bodily Health Check or ruck a 12-mile beneath two hours.
“Individuals are inclined to see Sumner as somebody with lots of pure capacity. However once you look nearer, you’ll be able to see the one factor separating him from his friends is his drive for fulfillment.”
Sumner stated he was drawn to ROTC as a result of he understood that cadets gained sturdy management skills and since he felt his values matched that of what was wanted for an Military officer.
“I wished to be in a corporation the place issues that I do can change the lives of extra than simply these round me,” he stated.
When he joined this system, he felt so flustered, he stated, that he didn’t know if he was presupposed to salute a sergeant, not to mention take cost. By his senior 12 months, Sumner was main this system because the cadet commander of the Gorilla Battalion.
He took each alternative to develop psychological agility, management expertise, and bodily health, together with ending the Vary Problem — a 25-mile ruck, impediment course and technical actions — all 4 years. He competed for the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, ran and rucked within the Bataan Memorial Demise March thrice, and constantly earned good scores on the APFT.
Throughout his summers, he attended Cadet Primary Camp, Airborne Faculty, and accomplished superior camp with the best rating attainable. He volunteered in the neighborhood in his free time, and pushed himself extra academically than he had beforehand, ending with a 3.7 — a full letter grade larger than highschool.
His work paid off: he was chosen because the cadet battalion commander, a Distinguished Navy Graduate, and the winner of the nationwide George C. Marshal Award. And, he was nominated for Homecoming King; driving within the parade down Broadway in an armored personnel service ranks amongst his high recollections.
“I’m so proud to say I used to be a part of the Pitt State ROTC Battalion and I’ll maintain on to the recollections I’ve made right here all through my life,” he stated.
