By Roseline Twagiramariya
Staff writer
He is only 17 years old.
Lothridge might be the youngest Cadet in Co. A, but he is not letting his experience at Leader's Training Course be defined by his age. It is sometimes the people around him who won't let him forget how old he is.
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Video by Majdi Ammari
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Lothridge has always wanted to be a pilot. Unfortunately, those closest to him were not as enthusiastic when he told them he would be following his dream with the United States Army.
"I took the ASVAB just to see and it wasn't a good night when I came home, dinner was not very pleasant," Lothridge said. "My mom cried a little bit, but my dad has always been for it since I once talked to him about joining the military."
It was after he started doing PT with the ROTC program at the University of South Florida that his mother came around, Lothridge said.
"She still gets nervous about me being deployed for combat, but right now she is supportive and sends me care packages," Lothridge said. "They're both behind me now."
His parents were not the only ones who were unhappy about his decision.
Ly Tran, Lothridge's girlfriend of more than a year, did not like it at first because it meant he would be away from her.
"He's excited about it, so I'm excited for him," Tran said. "He's going to be successful in everything he does."
So far Lothridge is doing just that, and Staff Sgt. Nicholas Furia has noticed. He was recently appointed as a squad leader and says he enjoyed it because he gets more motivated when he is in leadership positions.
"He has impressed me a lot by taking control of a lot of situations," Furia said. "He makes himself the example."
When he arrived at LTC, Lothridge felt a little apprehensive about the course but now enjoys it and has learned a lot.
"It's been really fun, minus the waking up at 5 in the morning," Lothridge said. "I get up every day ready to go."