Johnson Announces Service Academy Appointments
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) announced eight South Dakotans will be attending the United States service academies. They will begin their military training at their respective schools this summer. Johnson nominated each of these students in December 2024 and they recently accepted their appointment offers.
“One of the best parts of my job is nominating South Dakota’s best and brightest to attend one of our nation’s esteemed military academies and serve our country,” said Johnson. “These eight students are choosing a different kind of college experience. Their willingness to dedicate their lives to defending America’s freedom is honorable. I know they will all represent South Dakota well at their respective institutions.”
Two more South Dakotans have accepted preparatory options from the service academies. Maverick Sutton, currently serving active duty at Ellsworth Air Force Base, has accepted an offer to attend the United States Air Force Academy preparatory school. He hopes to join the Air Force Chaplain Corps. Lincoln Mansfield of Hurley, S.D. accepted a United States Naval Foundation scholarship which provides a year of education and training before the Academy.
Representative Johnson’s 2025 South Dakota Service Academy Appointees:
Rowdy Baldwin – United States Military Academy Rowdy Baldwin of Pierre, S.D. will be attending his first-choice school, the United States Military Academy. Ranked first in his class at T.F. Riggs High School, Rowdy has kept busy with school sports, community involvement, and employment at several jobs. He was tennis captain, on the varsity trap shooting team, placed state three years in a row with 4-H archery, and was on the skeet shooting and 5 stand teams. He also volunteered at Feeding South Dakota, as a tutor, and taught youth how to trap shoot. Rowdy feels “proud to serve [his] country for as long as they need me and be a service to our people and our nation.” Upon commissioning, he hopes to become a mechanical or combat engineer in the Army. |
Lexi Brandt – United States Air Force Academy Lexi Brandt of Custer, S.D. says she has faced personal adversity throughout her life but also has been afforded so many opportunities. “It is now time for me to pay back those same freedoms for the future generations of this country” while attending the United States Air Force Academy. She has been dreaming and preparing for this goal since the seventh grade after the United States Air Force Thunderbirds flew over her then-family apartment in Colorado Springs, CO. Valedictorian, senior class president, basketball and track athlete, tutor, cyber security club member, and band member at Hill City High School, Lexi has challenged herself. She is a student pilot with over 300 volunteer hours in the Civil Air Patrol and was also the nation’s youngest National Park Ranger while working at Jewel Cave National Monument. |
Dylan Frank – United States Naval Academy Dylan Frank of Custer, S.D. will be fulfilling a dream he’s had since freshman year at Custer High School by attending the United States Naval Academy. Dylan was on the high school soccer team, a Taekwondo co-instructor, a swim instructor, and has worked at Black Hills Helicopter. He believes the experiences and skills he’s acquired will “be leveraged into success in a challenging environment such as the Naval Academy, where leadership, teamwork, fitness, and the ability to manage hardship are vital.” While his dad is an Army helicopter pilot, who has deployed to Kosovo, Syria, and Iraq, Dylan hopes to be a fixed-wing Navy aviator. “Above all, [he] honors the opportunity to serve our great nation.” |
Kevin Jung –United States Military Academy Wutak “Kevin” Jung of Sioux Falls, S.D. will be attending the United States Military Academy. He was a varsity athlete and played cello in the string orchestra at O’Gorman High School. Spending high school in the United States while his family remained in South Korea due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Kevin relied on and leaned into his community for support and cultivated resilience. He attended college courses at Pepperdine University for one year and has spent the last two years completing his compulsory service in the Republic of Korea Army as a corporal and squad leader. Now three years older and with more military experience than most of his classmates, all of that will be set aside when Kevin arrives at West Point as a plebe like everyone else in his class. He is looking forward to “the opportunity to develop as a leader and serve [his] country with integrity.” |
Gabriel Reeve –United States Naval Academy Gabriel Reeve of Piedmont, S.D. will be attending the United States Naval Academy. At St. Thomas More High School, Gabriel was captain of the varsity football and wrestling teams, and was involved with South Dakota Boys State, choir, and theater. He also held various positions at Rapid City Aquatics as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and supervisor. With his father serving in the Air Force and the South Dakota Army National Guard, with which he deployed to the Middle East in 2019, Gabriel said he “realized that service is a duty that I would take up…The best way to do this is by surrounding myself with people who have also internalized values of service, self-sacrifice, and holding ideals above one’s own self-interest.” He will be attending the United States Naval Academy. |
Brody Weinmeister – United States Air Force Academy Brody Weinmeister of Aberdeen, S.D. is proud to be attending the United States Air Force Academy because its core principles center around high personal standards, integrity, and responsibility, for its outstanding educational opportunities, and to give back to his country. Brody feels blessed with many opportunities and activities to be a leader, and knows the leadership required on the football field is different than tutoring a younger student in algebra. At Roncalli High School, Brody was on the varsity basketball team, captain of the varsity football team, student council, and co-editor in journalism. Brody sought ways to connect young kids in his community to high school mentors. He also held several part-time jobs and was involved in Boy Scouts, tutoring, and his church. |
Paige Willnerd – United States Merchant Marine Academy Paige Willnerd of Summerset, S.D. is only the second South Dakotan to accept an appointment to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in over nine years. While she applied to all four academies, this was her top choice. She has spent years volunteering with her local Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapter, which has shown her the sacrifices our servicemembers have made, and she wants to give back. As a triplet, Paige has learned how to be a leader, but also how to be a part of a team. She was a distance runner in cross country and track at Sturgis Brown High School. Paige expects to “be challenged beyond [her] limits both mentally and physically,” but is “excited to have the opportunity to become the best version of [herself]” and serve her country. |
Aubrey Fraasch – United States Naval Academy Aubrey Fraasch from Milbank, S.D. is excited to attend the United States Naval Academy. Aubrey is from a military family that has served for four generations. She “wants to follow in their footsteps to protect all who call this country home.” She will study engineering and hopes to become a military pilot. Aubrey’s extra-curriculars are numerous and include gymnastics, color guard, band, choir, swimming, dance, National Honor Society and Girls State. She is a USNA Foundation Scholar. |