Elite U.S. Army academy lures kids with mud and duty

By Claudia Parsons

WEST POINT, New York (Reuters) - Climbing ropes and crawling in the mud under barbed wire, dozens of American high school kids at an unusual summer camp vied to see who could get most dirty as they tackled an Army obstacle course.

And as they ran between obstacles in the woods, the kids shouted Army chants. Asked by a cadet if they were motivated, they shouted back in unison: "Motivated, motivated, downright motivated. Ooh, aah, ooh, aah, I want to kill somebody."

Each summer, 800 high school kids hoping to become soldiers spend a week at West Point to see what life is like at the prestigious U.S. military academy for future army officers.

With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan straining the U.S. military and public support low for the Iraq war, recruiting future officers might seem a tough sell. But officials say applications to the summer program are at a record high.

West Point says it recruits "scholars, leaders and athletes." Kids at the Summer Leadership Seminar, a week-long residential program held over two sessions, have top grades and are strong in sports and extra-curricular activities.

Alex Imbriale, a 17-year-old from North Carolina who is captain of his school's rifle team, attributed his interest in West Point to his father, who is in the army. But there were plenty of students on the program who are not "army brats."

Kathleen Engle, 16, from Fairfield, California, said she had looked into the Peace Corps and other options but decided on the military.

"I was in fifth grade when 9/11 happened and that's when I decided the best thing I could do for my country was this," she said, playing a video game called "America's Army."

"I guess it's going to be hard to kill someone, but if that's your job and that's what our commander tells us we need to do, I'm going to do that in order to protect my country."

IMMIGRANTS AND ADVENTURERS

Mario Vazquez, 17, from El Paso, Texas, hopes to be a neurosurgeon but first he says he has a duty to America.

"My Mom is actually the one that found out about it," he said of the West Point summer program. "My mother is from Mexico ... she said it's a good place to get discipline."

"I owe a lot to this country because of what it's given me, because of what it's given my family, but I also have fears because it's a lot of sacrifice," he said. "You put your country before yourself and you sacrifice your family and a lot of other privileges."

Austin Fullmer, 17, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, said he was attracted by the prospect of moving around the world and seeing new places, and although he would be nervous about deploying to a combat zone, "it's just another adventure."

"I didn't quite realize there were this many kids like me," he said, grinning as he sat in the doorway of Blackhawk helicopter parked in a field.