June 17, 2005

Nathan Horton

First EVHS student to complete graduation requirements

By Bea Baechle
Editor

You could say that Nathan Horton has always marched to the beat of a different drum. He preferred working at his own pace to complete his schoolwork, so he opted for independent study through Evergreen Valley High School.

Nathan Horton was the first Evergreen Valley High School student to complete his graduation requirements last December.

And while many seniors looked forward to their last semester of high school as a less intense time—with SATs and college applications typically out of the way—Horton had his mind set on just one thing: Getting out of high school.

His persistence drove him to finish his high school studies in December 2004, earning him a special spot in local history—he was the first student from Evergreen Valley to complete his graduation requirements.

Why the hurry? He wanted to join the army in January because he views the military experience as a valuable differentiator in the competitive bid for police work someday. Plus, the service time equates to college credit.

“When I enroll in college after my service term, I will receive 19 credits towards a criminal justice degree,” explained Horton. “The amount of credits you earn depends on the degree you are working toward.”

So in January, off he went to four months of basic and army infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia, graduating with flying colors in April.

When asked how she felt about her son joining the army when our country is at war, Cathy Horton replied, “As long as he’s enjoying it and he’s accomplishing his goals, I’m happy.”

Today, the lanky 6-foot, 4-inch young man is a “PV2,” or private second class, with the 2nd Battalion 187 Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division. “We are the most decorated unit in the army, meaning that our unit has been awarded the most unit citations,” said Horton. “We are called the Rakkasans—a very famous unit in the army.”

Sometime next month, Horton will be attending air assault school where he will learn to fast rope out of helicopters.

“The military has been an extreme challenge,” said Horton. “In basic training, it wasn’t that hard physically, but mentally, it was very challenging. Now it is very physically challenging.”

He completes an hour and a half of physical training every day and runs anywhere from three to ten miles daily—with a six to twelve mile road march thrown in for good measure once every week. During the day, he continues with Military Operations Urban Training, where he learns tactics such as clearing buildings and security check points.

With more than six months of a nearly three-year contract under his belt, Horton said, “The biggest thing you learn is a whole new respect for everything in life that you took for granted—such as the simple luxuries of friends, family and freedom that you lose in basic training.”

And while many EVHS graduates will be hitting the books, attending college classes and adapting to dorm life in September, Evergreen Valley’s first student to complete his graduation requirements expects to be deployed to northern Iraq at the end of September for 12 to 18 months.

If you’d like to contact Nathan Horton, he can be reached via e-mail at nathan.s.horton@us.army.mil.