Matt Beausoleil has a passion to serve our nation in the Armed Forces. Last summer, he decided to experience a taste of military life first-hand at Freedom Alliance’s Military Leadership Academy (MLA) and thrived during the intense, two-week training session. Matt, now a junior at Ridgewood High School in New Jersey, attended the 2009 summer session at Fort Pickett in Virginia. There, he and his fellow cadets participated in activities such as land navigation, field tactics, rappelling, close-order drill and more. Throughout the training, Matt consistently motivated his peers and met each obstacle, challenge, and hardship head-on.
“His mom and I are very proud of him,” said Matt’s father, Dave. “He got so much out of the program. It was a life-changing experience for him – all for the better.”
But Matt’s momentum didn’t stop after he left the gates of Fort Pickett. Several months after the MLA session, Academy Director Tim Strickler challenged alumni cadets to conduct a Gifts from Home care package drive. Cadet Beausoleil eagerly accepted the challenge and with the help of friends and family collected 45 boxes, totaling over 400 pounds, of care package items that were sent to Marines serving in Afghanistan.
Matt is on his high school’s varsity track and field team and recently competed at the Arcadia Invitational – a national competition in California. There, he and his teammates placed second in the 4 x 110 meter shuttle hurdle relay and clocked the second fastest time for the event in their school’s history.
Matt aspires to be a military officer and wants to attend The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. Dave Beausoleil, Matt’s father, credits Freedom Alliance’s MLA for making a positive impact on his son at an important time in his life, and helping him confirm his desire to serve in the military. He felt so strongly, that he generously offered a sponsorship for a student at this summer’s program.
Success stories like Matt’s are common among the Military Leadership Academy alumni. Our cadets replace their comforts of television, Internet, and video games with early morning exercises, obstacle courses, and leadership training. Visit www.MLAcamp.com to request an information packet for your future cadet.
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