SPRING MILLS, W.Va. (AP) — Nick Elekes always felt a pull to be part of one of the country’s military academies, a dream that eventually led him to the Naval Academy. However, Elekes never considered what that would mean for him once he graduated, the Spring Mills High graduate recently ending his time at the academy and leaving commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marines.
“I always wanted to go to the academy, an academy,” Elekes said. “I knew about them since middle school. It was kind of a goal of mine to have this decoration, if you will, this commission, but I was never sure which service it would be from until I went to the Naval Academy. I always it was either going to be the Navy or the Marine Corps, and it wasn’t until the beginning of this school year — August of 2020 — that I was like, ‘Yeah, I would love to be a United States Marine.'”
Elekes graduated with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics with economics. Nick was appointed to the academy by Sen. Joe Manchin.
Interacting with Marines over his four years at the Naval Academy, Elekes was drawn to the group, his personality meshing well with those in the Marine Corps. He said from the Marines who lived on base to the ones he met on summer training, including being on a Marine base himself, Nick realized that was his home away from home.
“It made me excited to learn more about the Marine Corps,” he said. “I just felt more at home being with Marines than I ever really did being with sailors. That’s not to discredit them; they’re great people, too, but the Marine Corps was very much fitting for my personality.”
In fact, when looking back on his last few years, Elekes can pinpoint the summer between his plebe and youngster year as the one that pushed his heart towards the Marines.
“One memory I can draw back on for what makes me want to go into the Marine Corps, I can say my summer training between my plebe and youngster year, my freshman and sophomore year,” he said. “I spent from the end of May through the end of July, I spent that whole time with Marines. It was a month on a ship, and there were Marines on the ship. Then it was a month on a Marine base. I met all sorts of Marines.
“In that one summer, I kind of knew that was the place for me. But I kept my mind open, and here we are.”
As he looks ahead toward basic school at Quantico in the coming months, Elekes took a moment to reflect on all the last four years would bring, remembering himself as a high schooler who was just coming into his own and heading down the path to the Naval Academy.
“My dad introduced me to the idea,” Elekes said. “He was an Air Force grad. He never really pushed me toward it, was always, ‘Hey, this might be cool. Check it out.’ I did, and I really liked it. Through all of my exploration of colleges and even going to West Virginia University for a year, I always knew that it was going to be right for me.”
Considering what life would be if he’d taken a traditional college route, Elekes isn’t sure what the four years at WVU or Florida — his top choices — would have held, but he knows he wouldn’t trade any of his experiences for the world.
“I loved my four years, and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he said. “There’s too many (memories) to count. Obviously, all my friends I’ll see forever and ever. I’ll remember the crappy times as good as the good times at school. I’ll take things forward like the trips I had to Nashville or Memphis when the football team had the Liberty Bowl, trips like Spring Break to western Canada, three-day weekend getaways to Vale, Colorado with some of my best friends. I’ll take memories like that away forever, but that was all the fun. There were crap times when we were stuck in the hole for 45 days and me an extra 10 days because I had duty the weekend we were released.”
The last few years of hard work set Elekes on a path of success, his own drive being a large contributing factor, but the realization has yet to set in.
“I don’t really think it’s set in yet,” he said. “Everyone says congratulations, and we had friends and family come out to celebrate. I’ve been celebrating for what feels like three weeks now since school let out when we were allowed to move out. It feels great that all my hard work paid off after five years. I guess I’m proud of myself, but I’m also trying to be humble.”
The next step will be schooling at Quantico before heading off to a Marine base.
“A birthday gift I’m getting my dad is leaving him for a long time,” Elekes said with a laugh. “It’ll be a six-and-a-half-month school, but it’s only like a two-hour drive from Martinsburg, so I’ll be home on the weekends occasionally when my parents let me stay here.”
With that same joking attitude, Nick’s dad, John, commended his son for his accomplishments.
“I told him on Day 1, I left him with the following words of advice: Don’t screw it up. And he didn’t,” John laughed. “He did a good job. Very proud.”
With tears in her eyes, Nick’s mom Renae said, “We couldn’t be prouder.”
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