 Photo(s) by courtesy photo, & Pfc. Len Cutler Capt. George Goan receives a $1,000 scholarship from AUSA June 18.  Sgt. Rick Walters, 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Rgt., received a $1,000 scholarship from AUSA June 18. |
AUSA awards scholarships to Schofield Soldiers
By Pfc. Len Cutler Staff writer
Two Schofield Barracks Soldiers received scholarships at the Association of the U.S. Army's fourth-annual Gen. (Ret.) Fred C. Weyand Scholarship luncheon June 18 at the Nehelani. Capt. George Coan, a medical logistics officer at the Schofield Barracks Health Clinic, and Sgt. Rick Walters, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, each received $1,000 toward their educations. Coan is pursuing a master's degree in business administration from Hawaii Pacific University. Walters is a student at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in professional aeronautics. He dreams of becoming a commercial airline pilot like his father, but said anything that gets him up in the air is good enough. "To fly anything and make a living at it -- I could charter skydivers and be happy," he said. Walters said he almost missed out on the scholarship -- he didn't read the notice until the day the applications were due. Pressed for time, Walters said he wrote and double-checked the essay, got the rest of the materials together, and sent the package in. He even took the extra step of insuring the package, just to make sure it would get there. When he found out he won, he was ecstatic. "This scholarship is a big help. The AUSA scholarship allows me to complete this part of my training, without a break in continuity, which I would have otherwise had. That would have cost me extra money too." According to Eileen McLaughlin, exiting president of the AUSA Hawaii chapter, the scholarships were established four years ago. "We wanted to create a scholarship for the chapter. A lot of other chapters did, and we didn't have one." McLaughlin said it was through the efforts of Weyand, who serves on the chapter's board of directors, that the scholarship was created. "It was made available by contributions provided by General Weyand," she said. "He continues to provide for us today." Weyand is no stranger to Schofield. As commander of the 25th Infantry Division (Light), he led the Division during its action in Vietnam. He has also lived in Hawaii since retiring from the Army in 1976. The AUSA scholarships are open to all active-duty, reserve, national guard, ROTC, DoD civilian, and family members. Applicants must also be enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program. The application period begins in January, said McLaughlin, and ends in May. McLaughlin said that the Hawaii chapter of the AUSA has an annual scholarship budget of $5,000, and encourages everyone to apply. Walters echoed her comments, saying that some don't apply for fear of failure. He said Soldiers pursuing higher education should "absolutely" apply if a scholarship is available. "It's an opportunity that's available to everyone, from a Pvt. on up. I won because I took advantage of the opportunity and applied. It's done a great deal for my training, and I'm incredibly grateful."