Homewood student among service academy nominees

Each December, Congressman Gary Palmer partners with his Academy Advisory Board to interview and nominate outstanding students from Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District for an appointment to the U.S. service academies. 

Students who are accepted as cadets and midshipmen will be receiving the highest levels of education, athletic conditioning, leadership building and training to enter military service.

The application process for most U.S. service academies involves receiving a nomination from their U.S. house representative, U.S. senator, the vice president or the president. Once the nomination is confirmed, each respective academy will review the candidate before making an offer.

This year, 24 students received congressional nominations from Palmer, including Homewood High student Thomas Smith’s nomination to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Smith played football and wrestled all four years at HHS and is a four-year letterman in wrestling and a three-year letterman in football. He was a math team member and is active in the Element youth ministry at Trinity UMC, where he has served in numerous leadership roles and went on an international mission trip to Panama last summer.

If Smith is appointed to the Naval Academy, he plans on serving in the Navy in some engineering capacity.

Submitted by Gary Palmer and Barry Smith.