This remarkable teenager was accepted into all four US military academies
Tim Park of Fairfax, Va. recently received appointment letters for the US Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., according to USA Today.
Getting into just one military academy is an achievement in itself, since it takes a bit more than having good grades and submitting an application. Applicants need to first receive an official nomination from their congressman (with the exception of the Coast Guard Academy), ace an interview with an officer at the school, and have exceptional grades and civic achievements to boot.
Park told USA Today he was inspired by his own family's service in and around the military, which began with his grandfather - who was a child during the Korean War. Park's grandfather, who went on to become a doctor, offered free medical care to Korean War veterans in Pennsylvania.
"What he said is he had a debt of honor he wanted to repay," Park told USA Today.
Park's father currently serves in the military in the US Army Reserve. That may explain why he's leaning toward West Point, the academy in upstate New York that has been commissioning Army officers since 1802.
"I would say when I was about 8 years old, there was a documentary on the History Channel talking about these four service academies and I thought to myself that day, I want to do that," Park told Fox5 DC.