Gilford grads share military academy experience with local students during Hometown Visit

Military service holds in itself a great honor, and Bradley McIntire and Patrick Gandini, both of Gilford, have answered the call, while receiving some of the best education possible to prepare them for their futures.

The recent Gilford High School graduates are attending prestigious military academies — McIntire is a student at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Gandini at the U.S. Naval Academy — and the pair traveled back to the Lakes Region this week as part of the Hometown Visit program, sharing their experiences at local schools.

McIntire, in his penultimate year at West Point, and Gandini, in his second year at the Naval Academy, had plans to speak with students at Inter-Lakes and Laconia high schools, along with their alma mater.

“Since we both went to high school together, Bradley reached out to me to see if I would want to do this with him,” Gandini said. “Even though we are at different schools, and it can be a rivalry between us on the sports field, we can come together and do things like this.”

Growing up, they were both members of Boy Scouts Troop 243, and now they’re at their respective schools tackling a rigorous schedule, while building unparalleled camaraderie.

McIntire had West Point on the mind since he was 11 years old, when Scout Master Kurt Webber brought the troop on a field trip to the campus in New York. Webber himself is a West Point graduate, and also taught at the academy, so he was able to provide a unique perspective.

“Mr. Webber gave us a personal tour, brought us into the barracks, and it was great,” McIntire said. “We got kind of an insider tour from him, and I fell in love with it.”

McIntire applied during 11th grade, and at first he didn’t get in. West Point sent him a letter encouraging him to try again the next year. It was the only school he applied to, as his family had a long history of Army service, and he knew he had to persevere. McIntire considered enlisting, but when he was offered a spot at the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, it gave him a renewed opportunity.

“If you go and make it through the prep year, you are guaranteed a spot, so it was a no brainer,” McIntire said. “I’ll be at the academy for five years, with one year of prep, and four regular college. Those were the twist and turns that got me there.”

Gandini was a star runner in high school, and was looking to continue that at the college level.

When applying to schools, his first thought was to find his best chance for distance competitions in Division I. Once he got into the recruiting process, he knew the Naval Academy was the way to go, for a multitude of reasons.

“I felt like I could go to a traditional college, and run, and have a great education, and do the same at Navy, but I could also graduate and be either a Marine or go into the Navy. For me, that was the big pull.”

Much like McIntire, he did a year at the Naval Academy’s prep school in Rhode Island.

Gandini said, “it’s the same blood at the end of the day,” when it comes to their experiences at each school, but there are some differences.

“I think it is cool for us go around and share our experiences and how they differ, not only the different academies, but how they are different from day-to-day,” Gandini said.

McIntire’s schedule is highly structured, starting at 6 a.m. on Monday, with a first formation at 7 a.m. The day starts with a uniform inspection before breakfast.

“We all eat together, which is pretty neat,” McIntire said. “It is very much a family dynamic, which they do a good job of at the academy.”

McIntire said most of his instructors are mentors in active duty, and some come straight from deployments. This gives them real-world views of service.

“That is remarkable, because sometimes you’ll learn about the global war on terror, and they were there,” McIntire said. “So, you are really living that history, and the opportunity to reach out to those mentors is fantastic. They also have an investment with you, as well, because you might serve in their formation.”

McIntire is majoring in international relations, taking many core classes this year, with three blocks of classes in the morning before another family-style meal for lunch. After a couple afternoon classes, he will practice jiu-jitsu before dinner, then it’s homework before bed.

“West Point is all about teams, and being a good teammate,” McIntire said. “You eat with your family. Train with them. Do classes with them. Everything you do, there is a team working together to do it.”

The team mentality was instilled early for both McIntire and Gandini through Scouting, which mirrors a lot of military ranking and hierarchy. Athletics was also a huge preparatory point for them.

“I was on Belmont-Gilford’s hockey team and played tennis, and working on teams was what I loved in high school,” McIntire said. “The team dynamic set me up well for the military.”

Gandini is running cross-country and track year-round, which makes his schedule a little different than McIntire's, as well as his fellow midshipmen at the Naval Academy.

Instead, Gandini has practice in the morning before a family-style breakfast, followed by four classes before lunch, and then team meetings or study time. After an afternoon class, he'll run at track practice until about 6 p.m., followed by dinner and homework until he hits the sheets.

“Rinse and repeat, every day,” Gandini said.

Required military service after graduation is five years of active duty, and three of reserves. Naval Academy graduates either earn the rank of second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, or ensign in the Navy. West Point graduates are second lieutenants in the Army.

McIntire has an interest in Army aviation or infantry, and next year he will interview for those branches. Somewhere near next Thanksgiving, he’ll know his direction.

Being a year younger, Gandini is talking with mentors about his post-graduation plans. He said his teammates and friends ahead of him are preparing for their branches, and it shows him that “it’s real.”

“Right now, I am interested in the Marine Corps side of things, and I’m thinking of Marine Corps intelligence, but I am very open minded,” Gandini said.

On their high school tour, many students asked questions about the application process and the academies in general. In the application, academics are weighted at 60%, 30% is leadership, and 10% is the physical component, but McIntire and Gandini said most of the time it is all about just completing the application and having the drive to get in.

“You graduate debt-free, with a guaranteed job, and it doesn’t get any better than that,” McIntire said. “It is a beautiful opportunity that not enough people know about.”

The pair said being around people with a similar mindset is an infectious feeling, and some of their classmates will be their lifelong friends.

“It makes the not-so-fun stuff worth it, because you always have your friend right next to you doing it,” McIntire said. “That’s what I tell people. The people are awesome.”