Testimonials
It is with sincere gratitude that I write this email. My son, Josh Waller, has transformed into a distinguished, southern military gentleman. His last visit home for Thanksgiving was one of the happiest occasions for my family. Josh has grown and matured into a bright, responsible, capable young man. I owe this to you for taking the time to instill these fine qualities into Josh. We are so proud of his accomplishments. He is self assured and confident in his decision making and is fully engaged in the world. I will be ever grateful to you for the time you have invested in Josh. This is a great success attributed to you fine ladies and gentlemen who played a role in Josh's career at LWMA. Thank you, with the most sincerity. May your Christmas be filled with good cheer and joy.
Kind regards,
Jonna Waller
(The proudest mother in Texas)
12/11/2011
Dear Colonel Jenrette:
I am writing to you today to thank you and your staff from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done for my son. William a:rived at Lyman Ward in August 2010 an immature, undisciplined, and unfocused l7-year old. I knew he was a very intelligent individual, but he was struggling to pass any of his classes at the public school he was attending. I honestly feared he would never achieve his full potential. Nine-months later he is a confident, well-mannered, and respectful young man who maintains an "A" average and has been accepted to college.
Please pass along my gratitude to your amazing staff.
Respectfully,
Marge Dwyer
It is with great enthusiasm that I write a letter of recommendation for Lyman Ward Military Academy. For many years our son has dreamed of becoming a military officer. Yet the moment he set foot on our local public high school campus those dreams were replaced with a chaotic, unstructured, undisciplined nightmare. This once beautiful, athletic, and academically thriving young man was overcome with the freedom of his high school peers and longed to become part of a very undesirable crowd.
Our son came to Lyman Ward in the spring of his junior year; immediately under the leadership of Col Jenrette and his motivated staff we began to notice positive changes. Of course there were challenges; but soon our son regained his confidence followed by a strong sense of self respect and respect for others. Athletics became important to him again; proudly playing defense on the state 1st runner up championship soccer team and for the first time in a long time talking about his long term goals. We credit LWMA for instilling in our cadet a powerful moral compass based on Christian principals. For us this was a personal goal and something we were not able to achieve on our own. Overall we are overwhelmingly pleased with the focus and compassion the staff shows each cadet and I can only say the tuition is a small price to pay to advance our son spiritually, academically, and socially.
Graduation is just around the corner for our cadet and he will be attending Marion Military Institute in the fall where he will continue to build upon the strengths taught at LWMA. All of his dreams have been restored and the realization of becoming a military officer is well within his reach.
Col Jenrette and Staff,
During my last visit, (Military Ball Weekend), I was absolutely blown away with the change I witnessed in my son and the school in general. I watched my son in parade march with confidence and pride. I saw him perform in the Drill Sword Team and could hardly keep the tears from falling. I witnessed as he introduced me to his instructors and showed the upmost respect for their efforts in helping him achieve his best. He hugged his Mother, he hugged his Aunt, and he hugged me! He explained each badge and ribbon on his uniform. He was proud to have completed the Ranger course. He talked about going to a military college. He talked about goals and a career in the military. He spoke about the frustrations of the responsibility of the twelve 7th & 8th graders he was in charge of, yet you could hear in his voice that he knew he was proud in himself that he could do it. He was proud that he was in such good shape and that his father maybe should follow his routine. He was in fact a person that was much different than the one who showed up on campus last August.
He was different and so was the school. The campus seemed to take on a whole new look. The student body was larger. The buildings looked refreshed. People watched as their sons, grandsons, nephews and brothers marched with purpose. They watched with a sense of pride.
I realize that in my position and with my son, there is still work to be done. However, I will take this time in the year to thank you and your staff for the hard work that went in to making this a successful school year. I tried to thank those personally that had a part in helping my son, in my last visit. It was short sighted however to think that I could possibly know all those who helped him during the year. I am sure that many things were done by many people on a daily basis to assist him that I will never know about. To all, my deepest and sincere THANKS!
John D. Marcous, proud parent of Cadet Sgt 1st Class Clay Marcous
Dear Lyman Ward Military School staff and faculty;
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the positive impact you have had on my family and in particular my son, Benjamin Gardner. We had tried everything to make him feel empowered in his own life, feel good about himself and want to excel. Nothing worked. He wasn’t a “bad” kid, just directionless.
My son came to you as a confused, unmotivated and underachieving 13 yr old. He graduated after 4 years in your institution a strong, confident and motivated young man of 17 with goals and aspirations and the academic and leadership tools to meet them. He graduated 3rd in his class and was one of the most decorated cadets in your school. He learned self discipline and perseverance through your strict military and academic system and flourished in that system.
Each time he came home on leave, we noticed differences in his demeanor, his posture and his confidence. He started to take pride in himself, his surroundings and his accomplishments. He looked adults in the eye, stood taller and spoke clearly and with conviction. When we first sent him to LWMA, other parents’ reactions were often “how could you send him so far away; wasn’t there something else you could have done?” But when they met with Ben on each school leave, the main question was “what was the name of that school?”
Ben excelled academically and militarily due to his own strengths; strengths he was unaware he had until your system of discipline and accountability forced him to pick himself up by his boot straps and take charge of his own life. Your staff and teachers were always there to support and guide him on his path to success. It helped us here at home to visit the school and hear the teachers and administrators speak of him warmly. It felt like he had a family there who cared about him.
As I write this letter, we are preparing for another phase in Ben’s life. He will be a freshman this fall at Virginia Military Institute, studying Civil Engineering. He was admitted early decision, the first cadet from Lyman Ward to do so. VMI is a rigorous school, nationally ranked and respected for its strict disciplinary system of graduating “citizen-soldiers”. Ben did not choose the easiest path, he never has. He has chosen the path less traveled and thanks to Lyman Ward Military Academy; he has the tools and confidence to succeed on this path. So again we thank you, for giving Ben his life back, and giving us our son back.
Anne E. Chabot Biddeford, Maine
This Moment
The music begins to play, and I can hear our names being announced. My hand is resting on the arm of my senior cadet son, and I smile up at him with a wink. We’ve both waited so long, five years to be exact, for this moment and we savor it. The years flash through my mind again, those years and the people who made this moment possible. I owe them all so many thanks.
First, of course, my thanks go to my son Thomas for talking me into letting him go off to Lyman Ward Military Academy those many years ago. He had been to the summer camp, liked it, and wanted to attend school at the Academy to see if he could “do it” there. I was astonished and a bit dismayed, but his determination won me over. The order, discipline, tradition, and sheer roughness of it all appealed to Thomas, and the fact that this was so very different from anything his friends from Mountain Brook were doing, and he flourished in the atmosphere there. Although Thomas was only in the eighth grade, he made friends who were older, even seniors, and they mentored him through the life he had chosen and always encouraged him to strive for the highest rank he could achieve and to always do his best. Through the years, I became convinced that Thomas knew what was best for him, and I was along for the ride of a lifetime and the sheer pleasure of watching my son become the man he was meant to become.
When Thomas confided at the end of the eighth grade that he wanted to be the Battalion Commander when he was a senior, I filed the wish in the back of my mind and determined myself to watch and wait.
Through the freshman, sophomore, and junior years, Thomas worked hard, stayed diligent to the tasks and rose quickly through the military ranks. Each achievement was a celebration for our entire family. Each invoice I received from the Supply Store reminding me to pay for another rank and the accompanying sewing charge became my own personal certificate of achievement! Thomas studied, marched, polished brass and shoes, made beds, mopped floors, cleaned barracks and latrines, watched over younger cadets, and grew nine inches while I enjoyed the glorious parades, dances, and hugs from all the wonderful young men who attended Lyman Ward with him. His tac officers and commandant never attempted to change Thomas from the person he was. They simply put him in situations to bring out the best in him, situations they had learned from years of working with young men. Their work and faith in Thomas turned him from a youngster to a responsible young man who could look an adult in the eye and not feel insecure or awkward. My respect and thanks go to these men who worked with, watched over, and cared for Thomas during his time at Lyman Ward.
Not to be outdone by the Military Department, the teachers also demanded the full attention of the cadets and Thomas discovered what it meant to be the one who had to get that paper on "Romeo and Juliet" finished and turned in on time, without the benefit of having Mom proofread it for mistakes. Papers were written, books were read, pre-calculus was struggled through (with the help of a caring teacher who tutored Thomas in the evening), and in the end, the full secondary curriculum was mastered. Thomas had wonderful teachers who were always available to me and did their very best to make certain Thomas was prepared for college. One teacher, his history teacher, would always reply to my emails filled with “separation anxiety” and assure me that Thomas was doing fine, looked healthy, and seemed to be enjoying himself.
For all your kindness shown to Thomas and to me, I thank you most sincerely. To his guidance counselor who arranged for Thomas to represent Lyman Ward at the Alabama Boys State Convention: Thomas was very proud to represent you all and he and I thank you for that wonderful experience.
Yes, the music begins to play, the cadet calls the salute, and the swords flash up to a perfect arch. His beloved commandant announces, “Cadet Colonel Thomas Bonatz, Battalion Commander, fifth year cadet, is escorting his mother . . .” Yes, Thomas made it to the position of Battalion Commander, and we begin our lead out through the arched swords. Surely this is a mother’s dream come true! I see all of his teachers, military instructors, administration, and secretaries smiling at us, and they all show they approve of Thomas’ accomplishments, but I know in my heart that they all deserve to walk through the swords with us. For without them, this moment would have never happened. Many thanks also to the wonderful cadets and their parents whom I have met along the way. My greatest respect goes to you all because you have walked this path with us. May Lyman Ward Military Academy continue to thrive so other young men and their parents experience the life-changing events that will certainly come their way.
Dr. and Mrs. (Jill) Ekkehard Bonatz, Parents of Cadet Colonel Thomas Bonatz 2006, Mountain Brook, Alabama
Dad: Gut wrenching decision pays off
Sending their teen-age son, Ian, to military school was the toughest decision Col. Garth Bloxham and his wife, Leslie, ever made. In letters to The Times on Ian's graduation, all three tell how it was, for them, a good choice.
Several years ago, I sat listening to a friend pour his heart out concerning the problems he was having with his teen-age children. Despite my outward appearance of concern, looking back I realize how smug I was wrapped in my pride at how well my wife and I had done raising our two teenagers.
After all, ours was a strong two-parent family built on strong family values and commitment.
All that changed during my son's sophomore year. He did not make the move from Pennsylvania to Madison very well. His motivation started to drift and he lost his self-esteem. As he tried to break into the cliques of kids who have grown up together, he came to the realization that the only group that would "accept'' him was the "smokers.'' Remember them? The group across the street, just off the school grounds. They accept anyone as long as you have a cigarette. By the end of his sophomore year, it was not just the smoking. I was concerned that given his current trend line, Ian would not graduate from high school and would soon be in trouble with the police. By the end of the summer, Ian had "earned'' the right to attend military school.
Sending Ian to military school was probably the hardest decision my wife and I have ever made. A product of the Citadel and spending my entire life in the military (to include almost three years involved in basic training), I was well aware of the lifelong impact of the decision my wife and I were making. I clearly knew that while something would be gained (discipline, values, self-respect), something else would also be lost (innocence and youth). It was hard love the day we dropped Ian off at Lyman Ward Military Academy in Camp Hill. Both his mother and I cried most of the way home.
I had a lot of trouble coming to grips with the fact that I was turning the raising of my son over to strangers. I realize that in fact I had turned my son over not to a military school, but to a man I'd never met but had "known'' all my life. Sergeant Major Cecil Wall is a retired Army non-commissioned officer. A drill sergeant by trade, he has spent the better part of his life molding the sons of America.
That August day when I first actually met him, as far as I was concerned, he had spent his entire life preparing for the moment I turned my son over to him. Hard as a rock, outspoken, blunt, rough on the edges, but balanced with a heart of gold; he gave my son what I could not: a totally structured environment, unlimited opportunity to grow and improve himself, and most importantly, solid advice from someone who was not his father.
Because Sgt. Maj. Wall and I share the same Army experience and values (loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage), I never doubted his judgment or intent. During the past two years, I watched this man slowly rebuild my son's self-esteem. I watched Ian, under his personal tutelage, earn cadet rank one step at a time, culminating in his becoming the Alpha Company commander and winning the highest award at Lyman Ward, Honor Company.
Last week, as I watched Ian walk across the stage with his diploma in hand, my heart overflowed with pride. I know how hard this has been for him. I will think back on two years ago and the hard-love decision he forced his mother and me to make. I will think about his future at Auburn and how close he came to not going to college at all. But mostly, I will think of the debt of gratitude I owe Sgt. Maj. Wall for the hours of effort he invested in my son. He has been my son's mentor and surrogate father for two years. He has given me back not just a son, but a young man, ready to face the world.
Mom: Witness to son's turnarounds
Sending their teen-age son, Ian, to military school was the toughest decision Col. Garth Bloxham and his wife, Leslie, ever made. In letters to The Times on Ian's graduation, all three tell how it was, for them, a good choice.
My son, Cadet Captain Ian T. Bloxham, graduated Friday, May 28 from Lyman Ward Military Academy in Camp Hill. He has been going there since he was 16 and a junior in high school. This was not a decision that his father and I made lightly but it was without a doubt the best decision we ever could have made.
We are a military family, with two children. Our daughter, Erin, is currently a junior at University of North Alabama. My husband, Garth, is an active duty Army officer. We had been assigned to the Huntsville area before and were delighted to come back the summer of 1996. This area had long since been the place where we hoped to retire. It was Erin's senior year and Ian's sophomore year, making another move in two years for our high school children.
Garth traveled extensively in his job and although the kids and I were close, I found that I was having trouble keeping tabs on Ian's activities . . .
Eventually Ian started joining, by our standards, the "wrong group'' to hang out with. He started sneaking out at night, leading to lots of toilet-papering of homes, some damage of personal property and the theft of some cigars from a local grocery store. The problem with Ian was he was a failure at being bad. He always got caught . . . . He did more community work, apologies to other parents and yard removal of toilet paper than one can imagine. He was grounded more times than I can count. On top all of this there was a lack of motivation and no real interest with schoolwork.
How could such a fine young man, one who became an Eagle Scout at the age of 14, lose his momentum in such a short time?
We decided the only way to go was to send him to military school. He had such poor self-esteem by this time anyway, we decided what could it hurt except us as his parents. We love our son very much so this was a terrifically hard decision. We interviewed with Lyman Ward Military Academy (LWMA). We were extremely impressed with the small size of the school and the chance for Ian to receive a quality education with a really impressive faculty in a very structured environment. He was accepted for the 1997-1998 school year.
The first three weeks we were unable to call him, as he was known as a "scrub.'' This is the time that the real military structure begins. We were able to write letters, as was he, and many went back and forth. Our son was one of the fortunate ones to make it through and we were invited to "scrub'' graduation.
It was after this first hurdle that his life began to change. Ian became hungry for rank and immediately decided he was not going to stay a private for long. He managed to work his way totally up through all the enlisted ranks until he became an officer and was assigned to be the company commander of Alpha Company his senior year. All of this was achieved by following rules and regulations, doing his schoolwork and listening to his TAC (a non commissioned officer, retired from the U.S. Army assigned to each company and barracks). . . .
Military high school is not a reform school. I myself had that misconception when we took Ian there. I was concerned until I realized that the Academy quickly weeds through all the cadets that won't cut it and follow the orders. Yes, they wear uniforms, get up early, march to class, shine brass, eat together, worship together, study together and turn their lights out together.
What a great experience he has had. No, he did not have dates to go on, he did not get to go out drinking or mudding with his buddies on Friday and Saturday nights. Instead he was working hard, really hard to become someone. He was able to come home on open weekends if he made good grades. Ian made the Dean's list almost the entire two years. He never missed a weekend where he was able to come home because of grades. What a terrific accomplishment. He never would have done that in a non-structured environment.
All of his hard work paid off when it came time to apply for college. He applied to three and was accepted to all. He had to choose between The Citadel, in South Carolina, The University of North Alabama and Auburn University. He chose Auburn, where he has also received a leadership scholarship. Ian has been accepted in their landscape design program, a program he is a natural for. This is a dream come true for him as two years ago he didn't have the grades to go to any of these colleges.
Do we as parents have any illusions that our "perfect'' young man will continue to be perfect out in the real world? Of course not! We've both been to college ourselves many years ago. Ian has an advantage with his training however. His father and I believe there isn't any situation he can't handle, and we respect his decision to make the right ones. We gave the Academy a child. What they gave us in return was a fine young man.
We thought long and hard about giving up our son to a military boarding school and letting him go through all the rigorous training and one-on-one education ahead of him. What we never realized was it wasn't our decision to make in the end. It was his, and only Ian could decide if he would go the distance. He was on his own. . . .
Ian, we are so proud of you and so blessed to have you as a son. Thanks for going the distance; you had a great support team, including your parents, sister, grandparents, and the phone company.
But in the end, you did it all yourself.
Son: Gives heartfelt thanks
Sending their teen-age son, Ian, to military school was the toughest decision Col. Garth Bloxham and his wife, Leslie, ever made. In letters to The Times on Ian's graduation, all three tell how it was, for them, a good choice.
My name is Ian Thomas Bloxham, I am 18 years old and I have just recently graduated from Lyman Ward Military Academy. Lyman Ward is located in Camp Hill, and is for boys, grades 6-12.
There are three main reasons that young men get sent to military school: They are: attitude, grades, and discipline. I, however, am one of the unique ones - my father is an Army colonel, so discipline has never lacked in my life. For me it was grades and lack of motivation. Two years ago I attended Bob Jones (High School) in Madison. There I was an average student. I never did anything to stand out; to be quite honest I was bored. Grades were not my top priority and I wasn't being challenged; also I started getting into trouble more and more. It was then, at the end of my sophomore year, that my family decided to send me to military school.
Upon my arrival I suddenly found myself in a structured, well-disciplined environment. My day started at 04:30 and I didn't find my way back to the bed until 11 p.m. For the first time it wasn't adults telling me what to do; instead it was my peers. Yes, young men my age in the same predicament that I was, trying to change their lives.
I instantly decided that I would do my very best at this academy, and that is what I did. I left my old friends behind, started to focus on my grades and rebuilding my family life. At the end of my junior year I had many achievements, including NCO of the year, best platoon leader, and best Ranger. I also had made the dean's list 6 out of 7 times. This is something that was unheard of from me.
I returned for my senior year as the company commander of Alpha Company. I had 42 men in my company, grades 9-12. I was responsible for all of their actions, in and outside of the barracks. Each and every day, I was presented with nonstop leadership scenarios, which require quick thinking and answers.
To guide me through all of this was Sgt. Maj. Cecil Wall. This man has devoted his life to changing young men's lives. And when I say that military school has changed my life. I am really meaning that Sgt. Maj. Wall has. He was a father, mentor, a friend, and always had a lesson that needed to be taught. But most importantly he was mean. Thirty years in the military taught him what proficiency is all about. It is under his watchful eye that I have prospered. When you ask me about military school I can only say positive things. In two years I only made two Cs. I cannot thank my parents enough, and I love them both very much. I am prepared for anything that life can throw at me.
I have made some real friends, and have grasped some values and ideas that can never leave me. I feel I have been blessed with the opportunities that I have had.
My message to anyone that reads this is that life is all about choices, and you have the power to grasp it with both hands, by the throat and live!
Note: The following articles appeared in The Huntsville Times on June 5, 1995 and appear here with the permission of The Huntsville Times and the authors.
Major (LWMA) Joe Watson
Director of Admissions / Band Director
Major Joe Watson serves as the Academy's Admission Officer and has 30 years of service to Lyman Ward as a teacher, coach, and administrator. Major Watson is a native of Gainesville, FL and grew up in Auburn, AL where he graduated from high school after playing baseball and being selected as an All State musician. He attended Auburn University where he received his degree in Education in 1981. While attending Auburn he was a member of the Auburn University Marching Band as well as the Auburn Knights Orchestra.
After accepting a teaching position at Lyman Ward Major Watson became the band director, and has also taught history, science, and coached baseball. Major Watson has been recognized by the Alabama Association of Independent Schools for his distinguished service as an educator at both the 20 and 30 year marks. He and his wife, Becky, reside in Camp Hill and have two daughters. Major Watson is an avid Auburn University fan and enjoys hunting, fishing, gardening, and boating on nearby Lake Martin.
| 1-800-798-9151 | joe.watson@lwma.org |
