How do you go from a studying student to a saluting soldier? You finish up your studies and army crawl your way over to FSA.

Future Soldiers of America helps guide students who are intrigued by the idea of joining the military.

“If you have any interest whatsoever in the military we have speakers come in as often as we can have them,” junior Robert Stepp said. “They’ll tell you anything about their experience. How to join, maybe what path you should take. They can guide you towards what may be better for you.”

Along with steering students towards their ideal career, FSA also helps prepare students for what to expect in the military.

“Some activities we’ve been a part of is the flag raising ceremony during Veterans Day, they were part of the flag ceremony during the Blue Jay Nation Kick-Off just this past week,” history teacher Jeffry Wilkins said. “When they meet they typically talk about bringing in guest speakers, recruiters for example. They talk about drill and ceremony, so they practice that, how to march, stand at attention, do facing movements and things like this. It’s really a good place for those interested in the military to meet and talk.”

There are multiple benefits to joining the military to take account in, including getting a free education while also serving your country.

“I’ve always wanted to do something in the military engineering wise and I’ve always wanted to try to work hard. Maybe [the military] would help me get through schooling easier or what I want to do in the future,” sophomore CJ Coots said. “So I want to help out the Navy as well as be a Aerospace Engineer at NASA when I’m older.”

Over the past few years FSA has thrived not only with more members but more ideas to be more involved with the school and gain attraction throughout the community. The club is currently getting ready for the ASVAB test, which helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. They are also working on getting a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

“We haven’t had a chance to do an ROTC here in Liberty which luckily, through the FSA and how popular our club is starting to get, we’ve gained more attraction on getting an ROTC for our school,” Stepp said. “[A ROTC is] a cadet training area, it kind of teaches you to go into boot camp. It teaches you the different drills, gets you physically fit and just kind of gets you disciplined and ready for boot camp.”

FSA was founded many years ago when four LHS students had the idea and initiative to start a club focused on the military.

“I had – many years ago – four seniors come to me. One had joined the Army, one had joined the Marines, one the Air Force and one the Navy. They wanted to start a club and they just needed a room to meet in and I agreed to be their sponsor,” Wilkins said. “So they started meeting in my room years ago, they got a lot of followers, they did drill and ceremony, physical training and then they elected a leader for the following year and it’s just continued on. It’s been eight years now.”

An interest in the military can appear from anywhere and at anytime and the main purpose of FSA is to grab ahold of that interest and help transform it to the person’s best potential.

“My dad, uncle, grandpa and my great grandpa [were all] in the military and they seemed to really like it,” Coots said. “I [think] that my interest really sparked my freshman year when all these recruiters were asking what my interests were and what I want to do in life. They gave me a list of things I could do in the Navy and it just looked really exciting.”

The overall goal of this club is to have fun while keeping a strict routine that is up to military standards. FSA meets every Tuesday during Liberty Hour in room 905 and always welcomes new members.

“Why should they join this club? Not even for the military aspects of it but more or less it helps keep you focused, disciplined and teaches you leadership skills just in case you want them,” senior Nick Estes said. “And it may not be entirely important but it also teaches you how to handle yourself in semi-professional social situations; how to talk to people about certain things, plus just overall