Lutheran South junior undergoes infantry training after enlisting in National Guard

When Jayda Sulzer was a child, her great-uncle would often pull out old photos from his time in World War II. The Lutheran High School South junior knew she wanted to follow in his footsteps from a young age, considering joining the military or entering law enforcement, but her decision wasn’t final until now, when Sulzer enlisted in the Army National Guard to join the infantry. She is one of the rare women in the state of Missouri who has enlisted and undergone infantry training. 

Sulzer hadn’t been aware that she was one of the first women in Missouri until a swearing-in ceremony with the Army National Guard, when someone from the military told her. It came as a total surprise. 

“I wanted to be able to have a civilian life on top of doing civilian stuff, and I feel like the National Guard has a balance of both,” Sulzer said.

Her first drill was a one-day event near Thanksgiving time that consisted of practicing ceremony — being able to carry out commands and synchronized movements — as well as learning about how to deal with stress and homesickness and, finally, a partnered obstacle course. One partner wore a blindfold, while the other coached them through it. They also shared a Thanksgiving meal.

Come summertime, Sulzer will head to Fort Benning, Georgia, for basic training. She admits that she’s a little nervous for that 10-week endeavor, not knowing exactly what to expect. She leaves on June 10 and expects to be back sometime toward the end of August. 

“I feel like I’m going to grow a lot there and learn a lot of new stuff,” Sulzer said. She noted that the discipline taught at basic was something that would help her continue to grow.

Sulzer has frequented the shooting ranges with her mother and family friends in the past. She says she’s a good shot, but hopes to take this to the next level as she’s interested in being trained as a scout sniper, dealing with reconnaissance and long-range precision shooting. Sulzer plans to practice with specialized weapons over her next two summers of training.

Sulzer will return to Lutheran South next fall for her senior year, and she hopes to attend college in the future.