“All my friends and my parents were kind of making fun of me for this, for saying that I can do anything as long as I’m convinced there’s a test for it,” he said.
That determination earned Dexter James (’23) a place in the United States Air Force Academy for the Class of 2027.
James said a source of inspiration to train as a cadet came from his family’s history in the military; his grandfather was a surgeon in the Navy, and his father served in the military. In addition, he said the influence of his parents’ perception of the military also contributed to his admiration for their service.
“I’ve had a great respect for the work that, you know, the United States does in the world throughout my entire life,” he said. “Perhaps that’s just an aspect of how I was raised and how my parents talked about it and view the world.”
At this point in his life when he felt the obligation to figure out what he wanted to do as a career, James said the Air Force seemed like the only way to facilitate the achievement of his long-term goals.
I’ve had a great respect for the work that, you know, the United States does in the world throughout my entire life.
“I was thinking about how I could do the most good in the world and fulfill the responsibilities I felt that I had towards both my family and the wider cultural background from which I come,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about that for like, years at this point.”
As for what these responsibilities entail, James said “service to the nation” is a way to honor the history of his ancestors and their contributions to his life, generations later.
“I have a responsibility to sort of pay it back,” James said. “It’s also to just honor the work that all of my family and that all of the people who my family has known in the past have done to further the interests of the country before, and you know, now it’s simply my turn to do the same.”
With regard to the Air Force specifically, James said he was drawn to the recent technological developments in satellites and being able to incorporate his interest in science with his cadet training. While he is currently taking math and science classes to further this curiosity, James said the truth is that this interest can be traced back to reading science fiction literature in middle school. He said his ideal position within the Air Force would be working within the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also referred to as NORAD.
“Something controlling satellites, you know, maneuvering them throughout the various orbits of the Earth, I think that that would be extraordinarily fun,” James said. “Extraordinarily tiring and difficult, but fun and rewarding nonetheless.”
It’s also to honor the work that all of my family and that all of the people who my family has known in the past have done to further the interests of the country before.
In addition to the essays and test scores he sent to the Academy that are a part of most university applications, James said many other requirements had to be met.
Applicants must pass a physical fitness test, which James said he began to prepare for in February 2022 to take the test in November 2022. While he said his experience on various school sports teams like rugby helped his overall fitness level, there was still intensive preparation for the test.
“It wasn’t as if I was going into it with zero physical fitness as a baseline, but it was still fairly difficult,” James said. “To achieve the maximum scores, you have to be fairly, fairly fit.”
He said the school was not only willing to support him with the academic side of his application but with the unique components as well. For example, he said the P.E. department helped him train for the test and administered it in the fitness center.
Applicants to the Air Force Academy must also garner a nomination from their state Senator or Congress representatives. The applications to receive a nomination are then reviewed by a committee, which James said consists mainly of ex-military people or graduates from the military academy. James said he spoke to multiple people in the offices of Senator John Thune, Senator Mike Rounds and Congressman Dusty Johnson, securing a nomination from Congressman Johnson.
People often view joining the military as being such a stifling thing where your entire life is, like, blocked out and regimented.
James is the only member of the graduating class to enter the Air Force, and he said there are often misconceptions surrounding the flexibility for cadets to pursue academics alongside the rigor of training.
“People often view joining the military as being such a stifling thing where your entire life is, like, blocked out and regimented,” James said. “I recognize that there’s a degree of that, but at the very same time, I am going to be allowed to pursue many of my passions and continue them in the way that I want to.”
Either way, James said he finds fulfillment in the purpose of the Air Force and serving the nation, regardless of immediate and transparent success.
“The idea that I can help it in some way even if I can’t really see it, I have faith that I’m going to be doing something good,” James said. “That’s all I need.”
