At an informal coffee in Highland Village, Congressman Burgess recently recognized the outstanding young people from the 26^th Congressional District who have accepted appointment offers to attend one the of the U.S. Service Academies: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD, the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, CO and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY.

He presented each of them with a Special Certificate of Congressional Recognition and a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of their appointments. Burgess said, “One of the privileges of serving in the United States House of Representatives is the opportunity to nominate outstanding young people from the 26^th Congressional District to be considered for appointment to our nation’s service academies. The academies offer a top-notch education for those individuals who have the desire to serve our county. I am honored to be able to recommend local students who are dedicated to the peace and security of the United States and will one day serve our country with distinction as officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Those individuals honored were:

U.S. Military Academy

Tim Clark, Highland Village (USMA Prep School)

Jonathan Curley, Fort Worth (Kimball HS)

Baker Flagg, Frisco (Trinity Christian School)

Joshua Knight, North Richland Hills (Home School)

U.S. Naval Academy

Kelly Altschul, Highland Village

(Carrollton Christian Academy)

Andrew Burger, North Richland Hills (Birdville HS)

Howard Eliason, Keller (Keller HS)

Jonathan Herb, Keller (Keller HS)

Dan Hildenbrand, Denton (NMMI)

Joshua Jordan, Lewisville (Lewisville HS)

Caleb McKinnon, Argyle (Coram Deo Academy)

Meredith Sakovich, North Richland Hills (Richland HS)

Eric Stromme, Frisco (Frisco HS)

U.S. Air Force Academy

Nathan Brazzel, Denton (USAFA Prep School)

Matt Cook, Denton (Denton HS)

Brett Fields, Keller (USAFA Prep School)

Justin Fisk, North Richland Hills (Birdville HS)

Kimberly Madorran, Flower Mound

(Flower Mound HS)

Robert Sparks, Hurst (Nolan Catholic HS)

Zachary Taylor, Roanoke (USAFA Prep School)

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Frank Hlatky, Lewisville (Lewisville HS)

Jackson Mershon, Keller (NMMI)

Anthony Scaparra, Flower Mound (Marcus HS)

TX-26 2006 Academy Appointees Photo

Back Row (l-r): Nathan Brazzel, Andrew Burger, Kelly Altschul, Joshua Knight

Middle Row (l-r): Jonathan Curley, Howard Eliason, Matt Cook, Justin Fisk, Zach Taylor, Eric Stromme, Baker Flagg, Robert Sparks, Tim Clark, Meredith Sakovich

Front Row (seated l-r): Kimberly Madorran, Anthony Scaparra, Frank Hlatky, Dan Hildenbrand, Congressman Michael Burgess, Jackson Mershon, Jonathan Herb

NOT Pictured: Brett Fields, Joshua Jordan, Caleb McKinnon