POND CREEK —
POND CREEK — Pond Creek-Hunter senior Tucker Van Dyke is a fan of military movies, most notably, “Full Metal Jacket.”
Although being in the military is something he has dreamed of since childhood, the notion of defending our country really didn’t hit him until Sept. 11, 2001.
Nearly 12 years later, the drive to be an officer and lead his men and women has paid off.
It was very early in the morning of Saturday, Jan. 20 when Van Dyke’s father Robert, knocked on his bedroom door and awakened him with a large manila envelope.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Van Dyke knew immediately what it was.
“It was a nice presentation folder,” Van Dyke recalled on Tuesday. “I got a chill up my spine. I opened it and read the letter and I went off the walls. I went crazy.”
Nestled on the first page was a business card with one simple question.
“Will you accept this appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York?”
The official acceptance of the coveted appointment hasn’t been conveyed to the Army yet, but Van Dyke knows a military career will be his future and his life.
“I’ve always been very patriotic,” he explained about his choice of careers, no matter the branch of service. “God has a calling for everyone, and he is calling me to serve our country and people.
“It is a duty for me to protect the freedoms we have in our country, and I want to be a part of that.
“After the 9/11 attack, it occurred to me that I should be the one to protect our country.”
In fact, Van Dyke wants to receive his degree in military history and become either a combat rescue officer or an infantry officer.
“You can never know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been,” Van Dyke said of his degree selection. “You can learn from history to prevent future mistakes.”
Van Dyke, who carries a 4.0 GPA, scored 30 on the ACT and 1,230 on the SAT and is enjoying every minute of his senior year as he wraps up his sports career after lettering in football, basketball and baseball at Pond Creek-Hunter.
“This year has been going great so far,” Van Dyke said. “I could not be happier with all the success we’ve had this year in sports.”
Van Dyke is averaging 9.6 points per game this season as a combination guard/forward for Pond Creek-Hunter, which currently is 18-4 and ranked 13th in Class A heading into tonight’s game at Drummond.
“It has been a great year and I’m looking forward to baseball,” Van Dyke said.
But school comes first for the adventurous mountain biker who enjoys eating steak at Doe’s in Tulsa.
“During the day, it’s all about academics,” he explained. “You have to be truly focused until 2:30 comes around and I can go play sports and relax. After that, it’s back to the books. You have to keep flipping the focus switch. Sports has been a big part of my life for six years, so I’m going to miss it.”
Van Dyke, 18, has learned how to deal with the trials and tribulations of life and is grateful for the foundation he has gotten from his father, Robert, and mother, Ty.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” he said. “Michael Jordan made mistakes. It’s about how to get past those mistakes because they are going to happen.
“I’m proud of myself and I’ve worked hard to get here but for me, it was about finding my dream and going for it.
“Don’t mess around with what other people want you to do.
“Find what you want to do with your life and pursue it hard.
“Don’t get discouraged, because if you want it and you put your mind to it, you can go get it.”
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