Bustos accepting applications for military academies from District 17 students

MOLINE — The office of U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, is accepting applications for nominations to the United States Service Academies for the high school class entering in fall 2022.

Bustos nominates up to 10 students a year from the 17th District to attend the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

Students also must submit an essay, high school transcripts, ACT/SAT scores and letters of recommendation, among other things.

To be eligible, applicants must, as of July 1 of the year of admission to an academy, be a U.S. citizen living in the 17th District, which includes Whiteside and Carroll counties; be at least 17, but not yet 23; be unmarried, not pregnant, and without legal obligation to support children or other dependents; and be able to meet the medical, physical, and academic requirements of the academy.

Applications and more information are available at bustos.house.gov/helping-you/military-academy-nominations. The deadline to submit is 5 p.m. Nov. 5, and because such materials take time to compile, students are encouraged to start the process as soon as possible.

Go to the website or call Bustos’ Rock Island office at 309-786-3406 for more information.