Battalion Commander, Cadet LtCol. Rogan Richer, describes his Fishburne “aha” moment

When I first arrived at Fishburne Military School, I was scared and felt as if my parents might have abandoned me at this place where I had no one I really knew except my friend that came from my hometown to FMS with me. I spent the next couple weeks going through the “New Cadet Process” during which I was the lowest rank and I had to do everything my officers and senior NCOs told me to do so I could finally become an “Old Man.” When I went through my New Cadet Breakout I was so relieved that I was now a Private in the Cadet Corps at Fishburne and I was under the same rules that the other Cadets under me were following. I was slowly starting to merge into the military school life style and started to think maybe this could help. But, I wasn’t sure yet.

The moment finally hit me when I came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas Break. I walked through the door and everyone came to give me a hug and I felt back at home again. But, the moment I realized that Fishburne had actually helped me and changed me was when I saw the look of my mother and father when they held up my progress report. They were so over happy that they had tears forming at the corners of their eyes. They were so proud that I could finally get good grades and I was slimming down as well as taking control of my own life without having them look over my shoulder all the time. When I returned from my breaks, I saw that I didn’t leave my house for school, but I actually left my house to go somewhere else on break.

I returned to Fishburne and started to show my leadership skills and the amount of integrity I had. I finished with the rank of Sergeant my sophomore year, and was invited to come back two weeks early to attend leadership training. I finished my junior year as the Battalion Sergeant Major, the head of my junior class and decided to finish my high school career here at FMS. I am now midway through my senior year and I am the Battalion Commander, the leader here at Fishburne Military School, and the highest ranking cadet.