All things Army a passion for West Point cadet

Ever since he was a kid growing up in Las Vegas, Travis Puccio has had a passion to serve in the Army.

"I would play with G.I. Joes. I would play with Army men in the bathtub, and I would always dress as a soldier for Halloween with camo paint. That drive has always been there," he said Wednesday while home on Thanksgiving leave from that place in West Point, N.Y. — the U.S. Military Academy — where he's taken his desire to be a soldier to the highest level.

Now 21, the kid from the Class of 2012 at Rancho High School, is a junior, or a "cow" as they're called at West Point. That's short for "when the cows come home," he said, describing the turning point after enduring the sophomore year when cadets must decide to continue on their quest to be the next generation of Army leaders.

It hasn't been easy but its starting to be rewarding. He said he can "almost see the light at the end of the tunnel."

The cadet sergeant hopes to be an Army Ranger infantry officer when he graduates and put to use the conditioning he's gained from doing tens of thousands of pushups — "every time I drop I do 100" — countless "reps" lifting weights and running many miles with and without his rucksack and weapon.

That's just the physical part, though. The mental aspect has been equally taxing with taking 19 credits of combined courses such as German, civil engineering, international relations, introduction to management and don't forget "combatus."

That's "learning how to grapple and fight ... like hand-to-hand combat," he said.

Such training is invaluable for today's fighting force.

"What we're seeing now is these smaller groups and insurgencies that are rising up, which is where I see the future heading," he said.

His training, in fact, has been tailored to fight a nonconventional war by learning how to clear villages and rooms to prepare for urban warfare that soldiers might experience.

That training hit home when news of the Nov. 13 terrorists attacks on Paris swept through the academy.

"After I found out who did it, I was trying to find out why," Puccio said, referring to Islamic State militants who claimed responsibility. "I kind of felt mad. ... I kind of felt bound that I couldn't do anything yet.

The academy held a vigil and "we made big news on ESPN because for our football game on (that) Saturday, we brought out the French flag with us," he said.

While on leave Puccio talked to hundreds of students at Cimarron-Memorial, Bonanza, Bishop Gorman and Las Vegas high schools about the academy.

Today, on Thanksgiving, he said he's grateful to spend time with his family and see his younger brother and sister, and "to serve my country. I'm thankful to be doing that. It's the greatest country in the world."

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2