Disease, death, destruction, and defiance. These four D’s pretty much make up warfare. There is, however, one more thing that needs to be included to fuel a war: soldiers.

In the 236 years that the U.S. has been a country, it has been at war for about 90 percent of its life. In order to keep up that many years of fighting, there must have been a lot of interest in becoming a part of the Armed Forces of America. But is that interest still around? Or, as time passes, is interest in protecting this nation slowly fading away?

“What’s really interesting, there’s seems to be more patriotism and interest in military across the country,” Wenatchee High School counselor Doug Taylor said. “All military academies are getting more applications than in the past.”

The interest across the country is indeed there, not only for enlistment right after high school, but also for military academies, like West Point.

According to a New York Times article on military academies, West Point Military Academy’s applications for the 2013 school year were 9.6 percent higher than applications for the 2012 school year. The Naval Academy’s applications for 2013 were up 40 percent up from 2012 applications, reaching an all time high since 1988. The Air Force Academy also noted an increase of about 10 percent between 2012 and 2013.

What does the increase in interest mean? Recruiters are now able to pick and choose which students they want to move into the military, based on academic history, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test scores, and background checks. There are so many people now interested in the military that the recruiters have a waiting list to enter the armed forces.

“There are wait lists partly because the military is downsizing, so there aren’t as many positions to fill. Also, they need to be able to pass the ASVAB with at least a 50, and they can’t have any criminal record.” Marines recruiter Sergeant Warren said. “It’s pretty tough for some kids. We try to recruit them before they are out of high school so they don’t have time to get in trouble.”

Are the students at WHS as interested in the military as the rest of the nation? Fifty percent of students interviewed here expressed interest when asked about enlisting in the armed forces after high school.

“Yes. It’s just another career opportunity,” senior Colton Vandoren said.

The military does help students learn job skills that they can take into the world after the military.

“Students who are wanting to join join for two reasons: one, serve the country. Two, it gives students an opportunity to learn good job skills, and then go to college afterwards,” Taylor said.

Is there a certain group of people that are interested in joining the military? According to Taylor, there is a certain trend in enlisting.

“Tends to be more males than females. I think the type I have seen most is students who have had a family member or friend who have been in the military,” Taylor said.

This idea of keeping the military in the family was a fairly common theme among the students interviewed.

“I’ve considered it, but I haven’t really thought about it entirely,” sophomore Shenan Jackson said. “It runs through my family. Usually one family member a generation joins the military.”

It’s not just family members who influence students into joining the military. Friends and mentors can also influence students into enlisting.

“Yes [I have thought about joining]. Not as a soldier, but as a nurse for the military,” sophomore Katie Dodge said. “My babysitter did that, and I really looked up to her… It’s still in the back of my mind.”

So the interest is there, but why is the military suddenly a more looked at option for high school students?

“The outlook for the military is very different… When people came back from Viet Nam, a lot of people did not support that war. People in the military were frowned upon and shunned,” Taylor said. “It’s changed dramatically, back to where the military is seen as serving a noble purpose. No one wants to go to war, no one wants to fight. People realize that the military is one of the reasons we have many of the freedoms we enjoy today.”

-Bethany Symonds, Staff Reporter

A line of men and women are standing in a row. They all wear a uniform, splattered in  a motley of green, the legs of their pants tucked in their large combat boots. Each person carries a gun, and the look on their face is one of grim seriousness: You mess with our country, you will pay.

These are the men and women who have served and are serving our country. They know first hand the price of freedom and are willing to pay that price. For several young women at Wenatchee High School, the idea of sacrificing themselves for the safety of their nation is not just a fleeting thought — it is something they want to do.

Senior Sonia Bobadilla wants to join the military to not only protect her country but to be able to ensure the safety of her family and friends’ freedom.

“I think serving my country would benefit both myself and them,” she said.

Another reason she wants to enlist is that she knows people who have been in the military. Her uncles have served, and although they have told her it was scary, they also said it was a good experience. Her friend’s mother has also served, and has provided support and inspiration to Bobadilla through her military experiences.

“I want to do something other than school… I figure the military is a good path,” Bobadilla said. “I like the idea of being able to travel and help people.”

Senior Claire Devereaux is also considering a career in the military. “I am interested in it because it’s structured and disciplined,” she said. “It is similar to band.”

Devereaux likes the Coast Guard, a branch of military that deals with the immediate coastal area surrounding the United States and her territories, including rivers and ports.

Devereaux likes it because it is based closer to home. She finds the challenge of joining the military something she is interested in but not certain of.

Freshmen Rebecca Devereaux, Claire’s younger sister, thinks a career in the military would be interesting.

“I’m not really sure what I want to do with my life after high school,” she said. “So yes, I’m kinda interested.”

When attending the Military Career Fair earlier in October with her sister, Rebecca said Merchant Marines, who operate large commercial ships in and out of U.S. waters, caught her eyes.

“I always thought it would be cool to serve my country,” she said.

Throughout the history of the U.S., women have participated in every war we have fought. They have been nurses, cooks, spies, and some have even disguised themselves as men in order to fight for their country. Not until 1948, did Congress pass the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, allowing the same benefits to the women who picked up arms to fight as the men who did the same.

This was the final step in allowing women to officially enlist in the military and protect their country, as it allowed women to not only pick up arms but to receive the same benefits and pay as their male counterparts.

1992 WHS graduate Stephanie Kahn said joining the Marines was one of the best decisions she ever made. Aside from the benefits of joining, including insurance, college tuition, housing, and a weekly paycheck, Kahn just loved the challenge that the military presented her.

“I loved being a Marine,” she said. “How many woman can say they served their country?”

Although they comprise a small percent of our overall military, the number of women in the armed forces has grown dramatically over the last few generations. A Department of Defense report in 2012 states that of all the members of the Active Duty branches, 14.6 percent, or 202,876, were women. In the Selected Reserve, 18.2 percent, or 154,346, were women.

-Adrian Robinson, Staff Reporter

The crisp off-green uniforms covered in mud. The dark, stern looks of sorrow and loneliness in their eyes. The American flag stitched ever so slightly on their right bicep, the side closest to the heart. Most people will never know what it’s like to serve their country. But for those Wenatchee High School students ready to call, they know that while protecting citizens’ lives, they will shape their own.

They are many reasons people decide to join the military. For senior Willy Taulango, it was simple: “I feel that I can give back so much to my country for all it’s done for me,” he said.

Taulango’s brother has served in the Army for six years. “It’s made such a change in his life, and I think it’d be cool to experience that as well.”

He will not be going straight from high school into the service but is enrolled in the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program where he’ll complete four years of college and then enlist.

“It was a no brainer for me. They’ll pay for my college, and I’ll go into the Army with a higher rank and pay,” Taulango said.

Seniors Jordan Ramey, Octavio Martin Del Campo, and Kole Davis, decided to take a different route than Taulango by enlisting into the Marines last summer.

“It’s said to be the hardest branch, and I’ve always loved a challenge.” Martin Del Campo said.

When enlisting, there are a wide array of jobs to choose from. Martin Del Campo choose to enlist as a diesel mechanic. “I have had plenty of experience from working in shops and attending the Tech Center,” he said.

For the other two future Marines, they each plan on working as military police officers, whose duties are to serve as law enforcement officers on military bases.

Ramey said he would love to become a police officer after his time in the Marines. “The Marines just makes so much sense to me. I can get practice in what I want to do with my career and get free college,” he said. “It’s like killing two birds with one stone.”

The decision to devote four years of your life to anything is a big deal, whether it be college, a trade school, or the military

“I know it’s going to be hard and some days I’m gonna wish I didn’t join, but I know that when it’s all over it’ll be worth it.” Davis said. “College really isn’t an option for me. I’m not afraid to admit it I’m just not that smart. The main thing I want to learn is to be responsible. I’m going in a boy, and I want to come out a man.”

“If you can do fours years of high school then you can do four years of anything.” said Martin Del Campo.

-Sean Kelley, Staff Reporter