As a boy, he was hooked on his grandfather’s tales of adventure, heroism and selfless service for the nation. Now a man, Hampton High School senior Jake Lyons has taken that admiration and begun to build an honorable future as a serviceman for his country.

In the fifth grade, he attended a Civil War reenactment in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with his father. On the trip back to Carter County, they stopped at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

“That’s where I fell in love with serving my country and wanting to do my part,” Lyons recalled.

With determination, his passion became more than a pipe dream — it became a viable goal. He attended three summer seminars at major academies including the Air Force Academy, the Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Unfortunately, when he returned home, he was hospitalized for five days and subsequently diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which would medically disqualify him from pursuing his nominations to the three above academies for which he received Congressional nominations.

“That was pretty hard to take, but there was nothing I could do about it,” Lyons said. “I trusted that God had a plan for me and that I would find another way to serve my country.”

His mother, Jerri Beth Nave, said this was a tough news to receive, as he had been interested almost non-stop since age 11.

“He was pretty much there,” Nave said. “He had just finished doing summer leadership programs, so we felt pretty confident that he was going to meet his goal. It was tough, but he handled it well like the very mature young man that he is.”

With a positive attitude, he applied, along with approximately 7,000 others, to Georgetown University. He was one of 13 percent of applicants that were accepted early, and will attend with a scholarship worth $148,400 over four years.

“He went on to plan B with early acceptance, and is very excited to go to Georgetown, so that was a really good thing for him,” Nave said. “He’s found another path.”

Lyons said his goals and aspirations include serving this community and congressional district as an elected official.

“I’m going to major in government and try to get into public service doing my part for the country there since I can’t do the military,” Lyons said.

His commitment to public service also sparked an interest in his lifelong friend, Jared Wiltshire.

“In 6th grade, [Jake] had just gotten interested in it, and we’ve been best friends for as long as we can remember,” Wiltshire said. “When he started to consider it, I thought it would be pretty cool, and I have a lot of respect for veterans. I thought, ‘This can be a great option for college and setting myself up for a great future,’ so I’ve been working towards that goal.”

Wiltshire attended summer seminars at the Naval Academy and Merchant Marine Academy. He also completed the application process for Congressional nomination, with the goal of attending the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Lyons explained, “In order to be accepted into a service academy, you have to have a nomination from a congressman, senator or vice president,”

The application for the nominations is separate from the application to the academies, he said.

“You apply for it through the academy’s office, and once they review your file, they determine if you qualify for an interview,” Lyons said. “Then candidates go before a panel, which gives out nominations accordingly, and we got those nominations.”

With their goals in mind, the two began the application process after winter break during their junior years.

Lyons received nomination to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, as well as a nomination from U.S. Senator Bob Corker to the Merchant Marine Academy.

Wiltshire received a nomination from Roe to the Naval Academy as well as a letter of assurance from the Naval Academy.

“Those are very rare,” Wiltshire said. “[The academy] sent it in November, saying if I receive my nomination and was medically qualified, I would get accepted. They say they give out between 150 and 200 of them for all around excellent candidates.”

He received his nomination in January and plans to begin this summer with seven weeks of basic training. He said there, he will undergo military and physical training as well as academic briefs. When he satisfies those requirements, the academic year will begin, and he said he will then complete four years of education.

He plans to study computer engineering and will then complete a minimum five years of service for the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps.

Both men both have 4.0 grade point averages and participate in a number of extracurricular and academic clubs including Student Council, football, National Honors Society, Beta Club, and Future Business Leaders of America, which just placed first in entrepreneurship in the state. They are also the school’s news anchors, and provide a weekly broadcast.

Lyons is the son of Les Lyons and Jerri Beth Nave.

“We are very proud,” Nave said. “They’re both fantastic kids and have been best friends since preschool. They’re two quality young men.”

Wiltshire is the son of Bruce and Sherry Wiltshire, who echoed the same sentiment.

“They both started with the same dream and really stuck with it,” Bruce said.

As parents, he said they have done everything they can to encourage Jared to meet his goal, like maintaining excellent grades and meeting deadlines for various applications.

“I think it’s about a seven percent acceptance rate to the academy, so we always reminded him of the requirements and said if it’s what he really what he wants to do, then he has to pour his heart and soul into it, and also to have a backup plan,” Bruce said. “Then he got the letter of assurance, nomination and acceptance, on top of scholarship offers to other schools.”

Bruce said when Jared was a boy and said this was his goal, they didn’t know if it would change or if he was serious, but he has continued to follow that dream and will begin to live it this summer.