By Mike Finney

CLAYTON — Branches of the military sprout all around Kyndall Wyngaard’s family tree.

So it’s really no huge surprise that she fits right in at First State Military Academy in Clayton.

However, she’s more than just comfortable: The senior has become a trailblazer among the 450 or so students at the school.

In a ceremony performed in front of the freshman, sophomore and junior battalions in the school’s gymnasium Friday, Cadet Lt. Col. Wyngaard was promoted to cadet colonel, becoming the first at FSMA.

Cadet Col. Wyngaard, a Middletown resident, also received the Marine Corps Junior ROTC Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement, which is the highest award a cadet can receive.

She is one of four in the country to receive the honor — one for each region. She represents Region 1, which includes 64 MCJROTC schools and 8,500 cadets in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic areas.

“I’m so excited, I can’t believe it,” said Cadet Col. Wyngaard, who was the selection board’s only unanimous choice of the four awardees. “It’s one of those things you always strive to do, and once you get it, you’re amazed that all the hard work really pays off.”

Established in 1951, the Bronze Cross for Achievement rewards cadets from the MCJROTC who demonstrate “excellence in military, scholastic and civic affairs.”

“I am extremely proud,” said Kim Wyngaard, her mother. “I see her get up every morning and get to school an hour before everyone else, just to work her tail off to get a step ahead.

“She puts in the work and to see her get rewarded for it, there’s nothing more fulfilling as a parent than that.”

To top it all off, Cadet Col. Wyngaard received an early-offer Letter of Assurance from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Thursday, paving the way for her eventual acceptance to the prestigious service academy.

Todd Wyngaard, Kyndall’s dad, said military roots run deep in the family.

“Her grandfather was in the Army, and my father was in the Air Force,” Mr. Wyngaard said. “And actually, her great-grandfather was in the Army, and her other great-grandfather was in the Navy, so we’ve got a little bit of everything, … and I was in the Army, as well.

“I couldn’t be more proud. I was so excited. You see your kids work really hard for what they want and invest the time and put all that effort in, so it’s fun to see all that come to fruition.”

Retired Col. Robert Wallace, the school’s senior Marine instructor, oversaw much of Friday’s ceremony, which culminated when Cadet Col. Wyngaard participated in a change-of-command ceremony with fellow senior Taylor Cahall.

Cadet Col. Wyngaard will finish her time at FSMA as a mentor for Cadet Lt. Col. Cahall and is going to become an intermediary between Col. Wallace and the rest of the battalion. It is a new position created just for her.

“They’re both just phenomenal young ladies. They work well together as a team. They support each other,” Col. Wallace said. “I’m surprised they don’t live with each other because they’re so close, so tight, so professional and so dedicated to their own academic achievement, the achievement of the school, the achievement of the sports teams.

“I’m just a lucky guy to have them the same place at the same time. I think (Cadet Col. Wyngaard) is well on her way to the United States Naval Academy, which will also be a first for us.”

Cadet Lt. Col. Cahall, who was promoted to that position Friday, said she and Cadet Col. Wyngaard have been friends since the beginning of their freshman year.

“She definitely inspires me,” Cadet Lt. Col. Cahall said of Cadet Col. Wyngaard. “We always work together, and she always makes sure she’s helping me and mentoring me, and she’s definitely setting me up for success now that I’m promoted.”

However, Cadet Lt. Col. Cahall doesn’t see the military in her future — just animals.
“I’m going to miss her, but we’re definitely going to keep in touch,” she said. “I’m planning on going to ... get my bachelor’s in animal science and then go to vet school.”

Meanwhile, the next step for Cadet Col. Wyngaard lies just across the Chesapeake Bay.

She said that when she gets the acceptance call from the U.S. Navy, it will be a dream come true.

“Because this (FSMA) program actually introduced me to it, I started doing more research on the Navy, and I got to really know their mission, and I loved how much they cared about each individual midshipman there and they cared about how they were advancing them in character and morally, too,” she said.

“I’ve always loved the organization, the order and also the family unity of the military. Plus, Annapolis is gorgeous. I’m ready to go right now.”