EL CAJON, CALIF. (KGTV) - A pair of Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets from an El Cajon high school are turning heads for their achievements.
It has been 19 years since a student from Grossmont High School was appointed to military service academy and the class of 2018 has two who received multiple appointments.
John Flaherty and Nicholas Ghosn earned four appointments in total.
Flaherty was nominated to West Point and the United States Merchant Marine Academy while Ghosn earned them to the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I was on top of the world,” said Flaherty describing the moment he got the call he was being appointed, “it was everything I dreamed of since I was four-years-old.”
Flaherty is attending West Point and Ghosn will head to Annapolis at the end of their summer.
Nicholas Ghosn says it was bittersweet to get the nod from the U.S. Navy.
“All I ever wanted was to go to that college and join the ranks of the officer corps in the Navy, but I knew I was going to be away from my family and friends and home,” said Ghosn, “it’s going to be a long time before I get to see them so I was kind of sad because I knew this was it.”
The 17-year-olds grew up a mile and a half from each other in Spring Valley and played sports together.
“It’s unprecedented,” said Gunnery Master Sgt. Mark Brosnan on the two earning nearly $3 million dollars in scholarship money from the schools.
“I’ve never had cadets from public school get two appointments in the same year,” added Brosnan.
They are teenagers, but they know they are on the precipice of something great.
“They don’t let you into the Naval Academy or West Point if you eat tide pods,” laughed Ghosn, “Thats on the application.”
The two head to their respective schools in late June, but plan to see each other at the Army-Navy game in December.
