Whittier native Jason Hartley found his way to West Point
How Whittier native Jason Hartley found his way to West Point, via a presidential announcement
It started as an unexpected phone call, then an invite to Washington D.C. — then, an announcement on live national television that changed Whittier/La Mirada native Jason Hartley’s life forever.
During President Trump’s joint address to Congress on March 4, 17-year-old Hartley received news that he’d been accepted to the prestigious U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“That was my honest reaction… I mainly felt relieved,” Hartley said of the look on his face as the cameras caught his surprise, sitting in the House gallery when Trump made the announcement. “I knew my phone was going to start blowing up.”