We all remember that one moment that sparked our interest in a field, hobby or career we still enjoy today. For teachers, it may have been an educator of their own who inspired them to follow the path of academics. For a policeman, it may have been a positive interaction with a neighborhood cop when they were a kid. But for 2006 Maine-Endwell alum Dave Pert, it was none other than Sylvester Stallone, as he watched the actor traverse the wetlands of Vietnam.
“I watched Rambo one too many times when I was 12 so I kind of wanted to emulate that. I realized quickly that wasn’t the path to the military,” said Pert.
25 years after watching the hit movie for the first time, Pert is following his dreams of serving his country. He’s now a U.S. Army Major, teaching physics in the Nuclear Engineering Department at West Point. The ’06 grad credits his time at M-E for helping shape his future.
“I pretty much fell in love with STEM. I had really great math teachers. The late Mr. Barton and Mrs. Alger stick out in my mind. When I got into high school, I went through the technology track and Mr. Hauptfleisch was the tech teacher back in the day. He was pivotal. I started with Technology Students Association, Science Olympiad, and just fell in love with STEM,” said Pert.
Pert’s path into service began with an introduction to the local Civil Air Patrol squadron, the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Following high school, he’d attend Binghamton University where he earned a BA in Psychology. It was at Binghamton where his military career would truly begin. Following his time with B-U’s Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), Pert branched into the United States Army Ordnance Corps where he was selected for an explosive ordinance disposal school slot.
Pert has since served 14 years, living everywhere from Florida to New Mexico, moving across the country nine times. In 2013, he’d deploy to Afghanistan, before a short stint in Tajikistan doing counter IED training for military. The M-E alum is proof that hard work can take you as far as you’d like, and he says you don’t have to have all the answers following graduation.
“It’s okay to not figure out what your passion is until mid-career. I didn’t. Luckily the military afforded me a lot of leniency and cushion to change career paths after I’ve gotten out of school. I would say definitely don’t discount grad school as soon as you get out of college. I never wanted to step into a classroom again after I graduated. Now I can’t get enough of it,” said Pert.
During his tenure in the military, Pert went through a number of explosives trainings, including nuclear weapons. He’d spent eight years in Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD), later switching to Functional Area 52 and the Nuclear and Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) branch.
“I kind of fell in love and found a passion for the physics behind nuclear explosives and how that works,” said Pert.
It was then, many years into his military career when Pert would find his true passion. He chose to go back to school mid-career, earning a BA in Physics from Wright State University, most recently graduating from the Air Force Institute of Technology with a MS in Nuclear Engineering. Immediately following graduation, he’d take a slot at West Point in Physics and Nuclear Engineering Department, where he now teaches students from all over the country, and even the world.
“The army provides you with limitless educational opportunities to take advantage of. Definitely do not discount service, even if it’s a small stint. If you branch correctly in the army, you’ll find out you either love it or hate it, and if you love it, you can make a great career out of it,” said Pert.
25 years after watching Rambo for the first time, many would call Dave Pert a hero of his own. He’s now living a career of service, inspiring and motivating the youth of tomorrow. Today, just as he remembers the names of some of his most impactful teachers at Maine-Endwell, hundreds of men and women serving the military of the future will be thanking Pert for helping them follow their dreams.