For 17-year-old Aaron Rodriguez-Herrejon, joining the Army was an idea that intrigued him as a kid, he said, but one he kept hidden in the back of his mind.
“I guess the patriotism that comes with being in the military,” he said of what drew him. “I would always see videos of just how it’s like to be in the military and the pride of it. That kind of interested me.”
But the intimidation the institution might give off to an outsider looking in, and the assumption that he’d go to college straight after high school — like his older siblings — discouraged Rodriguez-Herrejon from considering the Army as a viable path, he said.
That was until he spotted a National Guard recruitment center one day on a drive to grocery store with his mom.
And now, the Tustin High School graduate, who’s played the trombone since he was in sixth grade and served as an assistant drum major for the school band, is headed into the National Guard to play for the Army National Guard Band.
He said his parents were definitely surprised — and worried — when Rodriguez-Herrejon told them he wanted to scrap the college plans he’d made and go into the Army. By the time Rodriguez-Herrejon committed to make the switch, he was already a senior.
“My parents were definitely not expecting it. They asked me a bunch of questions, I guess because they were worried, which makes sense because they’re my parents,” he said. “But they eventually started to support me 100%.”
He said he wouldn’t have made it to this point without his family’s unwavering support. His older brother, Sergio, who played the trombone for the Century High marching band, inspired him to pick up the instrument, and his older sister, Ruby, always made sure he did well in school, Rodriguez-Herrejon said.
“My family would take time out of their day to watch me play and a lot of kids don’t really get that support. I really appreciate that,” he said.
The reaction he’s received from his friends and counselors at school have also all been very positive, he said.
He isn’t fully letting go of college though; Rodriguez-Herrejon said he plans to go back to college to study music performance and chemistry after a few years of being in the military full-time.
But for now, Rodriguez-Herrejon has 10 weeks of basic combat training and music training to complete.
