Matt Watson shows off his certificate of appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Hartselle senior Matt Watson is appointed to U.S. Military Academy

Hartselle senior Matt Watson is hoping to join the ranks of Gen. Douglas Macarthur and former President Ulysses S. Grant as graduates of West Point.

In late February, Watson took the first step toward that goal, as he received his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

“It was a dream come true when I got the letter,” Watson said. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Watson became interested in attending West Point because of the husband of his dad’s oldest sister, who is a 1971 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. While no one else has gone to West Point, several in Watson’s family have enlisted in the U.S. Army.

That dream didn’t come without a lot of hard work.

Watson had to complete physical training to meet the demands of the academy, along with obtaining recommendations from U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and U.S. Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-Mobile) and Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa).

“It’s been a lot of work, but I’m really excited now,” Watson said.

Watson, a member of Troop 336 in Hartselle, completed his Eagle Scout Project on March 9. The project consisted of moving and placing 440 landscaping bricks and moving, hand mixing and placing nearly eight cubic yards of soil mix to make three raised vegetable beds for the F.E. Burleson outdoor classroom.

Watson has been a member of Troop 336 since 2006 and has held the following positions within the troop: senior patrol leader, assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, troop scribe. He attended four summer camps, Philmont Scout Ranch and National Youth Leadership Training.

Watson will be graduating from Hartselle High School in May and will likely be reporting around July 1 for the U.S. Military Academy. He thanked his family for his help in achieving this goal.

“They’ve always been there and supportive of me,” Watson said. “They’re excited for me.”