A number of South Whidbey High School graduates have joined the military. On this Veterans Day, Nov. 11, The Record honors those young men and women who are serving their country in the Armed Forces.

Veterans Day is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, but the day has since become a holiday to mark the service of men and women who have served the country in times of war and peace. On this Veterans Day, The Record profiles three former South End students in uniform.

Sgt. Brandon Hern

Two-time state wrestling champion Brandon Hern is serving in the Oregon National Guard while attending Oregon State University in Corvallis.

Hern was well known in sports circles for winning back-to-back state wrestling titles in 2001 and 2002. He earned a wrestling scholarship to OSU, and in his freshman year, he joined the Oregon National Guard.

His mother Karen Holum hoped he wouldn’t be sent to Iraq, but his unit was activated in March 2004. Hern returned home in March 2005.

“It was very difficult when he was in Iraq. We kept in touch through e-mail,” Holum said.

As a sergeant in the National Guard, Sgt. Hern has been sent to Mongolia and Japan for international troop training activities.

When he returned from Iraq, he re-enrolled at OSU. He is now majoring in international business and will graduate in 2007.

2nd Lt. Pat McAfee

Parents: Diane and Bill McAfee, Clinton.

Graduate: 2002 South Whidbey High School; 2006 Central Washington University

Service: Air Force

Pat McAfee graduated from Central Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He had the idea of pursuing a career in wildlife biology and resource management.

According to his dad, Bill McAfee, that all changed when Pat McAfee the Air Force following graduation. He attended Central Washington University on a Air Force ROTC scholarship.

“He just wants to be in the Air Force now,” his dad said.

Pat McAfee is stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where the 30th Space Wing manages the Department of Defense’s space and missile testing. McAfee is assigned to the Air Force missile test squadron, and has been selected for a a class in space and missile operations.

“Pat has told us he will volunteer for Afghanistan or Iraq if the date of the class is pushed back. He is anxious to get on with things,” Bill McAfee said. “Whatever he does, we are very proud of him.”

Sgt. Alex Hawley

Parents: M’Liss and Mike Hawley, Freeland.

Graduate: 2001 South Whidbey High School

Service: Marine Corps

Alex Hawley, the son of Island County Sheriff Mike Hawley, has been teaching urban warfare the past year at Camp Pendleton in California.

It’s important work, because as American troops are required to patrol foreign cities, they face new challenges encountering their enemy in urban areas. Sgt. Hawley is a platoon sergeant training Marine troops to fight and defend themselves in city settings.

Hawley was so anxious to join the Marines he finished high school mid-year in 2001.

“He wanted to graduate as soon as possible. He joined the Marines right away,” his father said.

Even so, he came home after boot camp in June 2001 to graduate — in uniform — with his class.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks happened just months after Hawley joined the Marines. He has seen much of the world through his military service; Hawley spent a year in Iraq and fought in the first battle of Fallujah.

Since then, he has served on the Demilitarized Zone in Korea, dubbed by former president Bill Clinton as the “scariest place on earth.” He has also served in the Philippines and Okinawa.