Jan 20, 2008
PEOPLE:
Ridgefield student will repay debt to USA
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He’s an all-American kid who knows better than most the real meaning of the American Dream, and he intends to pay back the nation that gave him the chance to follow it.
Ridgefield High senior Dylan Shay grew up enjoying everything the town — and the United States — has to offer. A second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Dylan is also on the cross country and track teams. He carries a 4.0 grade average, works a part-time job and like the rest of the class of 2008, he’s looking forward to graduation.
And yet, Dylan Shay says he grew up with a debt to pay, one on which he begins to make good on June 27. That’s the day Dylan Shay, RHS grad, becomes Mr. Shay, U.S. Naval Academy plebe.
“I know what my life could have been like if I didn’t live here,” Dylan said. “It’s about giving back and serving my country. One part of it is getting an education, but my education will only help me serve my country better.”
Dylan came to the U.S. when he was still an infant. His parents, Geri and Terence Shay, adopted him from an orphanage in Korea.
“I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if I had stayed in that orphanage,” Dylan said. “I know I wouldn’t have had anything like the life I do now. I wouldn’t have any of the opportunities I have now. I owe my parents and my country and I want to serve.”
Although it sounds like a recruiting poster-brand of patriotism, it isn’t. Dylan said he actually keeps his feelings for America to himself.
“I keep it private,” he said. “Maybe some of my closer friends see it, but the majority don’t. They wouldn’t understand.”
Dylan’s desire to entire the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis is something new, although his wish to serve isn’t. His mother, Geri, said Dylan’s idea of serving his country began when he was young.
“He’s been focused this way for several years,” Geri Shay said. “It’s kind of unusual for an early teen to be focused this way.”
Childhood pursuit
Although he knew he wanted to serve, Dylan said it wasn’t until he attended a summer session at the academy that he decided to go Navy.
“It was the coolest week of my life,” Dylan said. “I just loved it. I always knew I wanted to go to an academy, but I really liked Annapolis.”
During his week, the academy midshipmen exposed Dylan and the other students to a glimpse of life in the military in general and the Navy in particular. Dylan said he already had the thought in the back of his mind to become a Marine Corps officer, for one special reason.
“My dad was a Marine,” he said. “That has a lot to do with it, but the Marine Corps really is an elite force. It is the few and the proud. I think Marine training will not only test me physically but it will get me ready to lead.”
Dylan said he already thinks he has some idea of what to expect from his first year, known as the plebe year, at Annapolis. Upper classmen attempt to push the plebes to the limits of their physical and mental endurance, all as a test of character. Dylan said he is sure he can meet the challenge.
“I think physically, well, I know that’s going to be hard,” he said. “I think it’s all about the challenge. That’s how I am going to look at it. It’s a challenge. It’s not something that’s impossible. I would like to say I am prepared, but no matter what I think, I just want to be ready.”
Early preparation
One way Dylan is preparing for the academy is his study of Tae Kwon Do. Already a second-degree black belt in the grueling martial art, Dylan said his dojo has something of a military feel.
“We already have to say, “Yes, sir’ and ‘No, Sir,’” he said. “It’s tough. My master really pushes everyone and since I am a second-degree black belt, he really tests me physically.”
Dylan also said the meditation aspect of Tae Kwon Do should help him at Annapolis as well.
“There is a lot of mental discipline to Tae Kwon Do and meditation is part of it,” he said. “I can slow myself down and control my emotions and keep at ease.”
While his Ridgefield High classmates continue to agonize over acceptances to Yale or Harvard, Princeton or Brown, Dylan already has his in hand. He received his Annapolis letter of acceptance in October and in December, U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd gave Dylan one of his two appointments to the academy.
Dylan said he isn’t sure whether many of his classmates even know what Annapolis is.
“They say, ‘Good job’ or something like that because I got into a school,” he said. “I really don’t think they even understand what it means.”
He also said the anti-war and anti-military sentiment of many at the high school only fueled his desire to get into the naval academy.
“It made me want to go even more,” he said. “Just the fact they can protest just shows how great America is and it’s important to protect all the freedoms for all the people.”
Although his choice of schools and career could put him in harm’s way, his mother said she is “very proud and supportive” of her son.
“I personally don’t understand that kind of drive,” she said. “I love to watch the thought process. It’s totally amazing to me to see. There’s always some concern about your child, but all we can do is support him and be very, very proud of him.”
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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