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Brock Peyton, courtesy of Peyton family

By Agrippina Fadel

Tamarac resident Brock Peyton will become a West Point cadet, and his family could not be prouder.

The United States Military Academy at West Point is the oldest and one of the most prestigious service academies in the country. Known for providing outstanding education and instilling core values, the academy counts many high-ranked military and government leaders as its graduates.

Brock’s father, Derek Peyton, said his son had received an appointment to class of 2026 after getting his nomination from Senator Marco Rubio.

Derek explained that everyone who applies to the academy must receive a nomination from their congressman or a state senator.

When Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings passed away in April of 2021, Brock had to rely on getting the nomination from a senator.

“Each congressman and senator only have a certain number of nominations they can give yearly. Everyone in the state is eligible to ask senators for a nomination, so it is much more competitive,” said Derek, adding that while the process was not easy, his son had an interview with Senator Rubio’s staff and ultimately received his nomination.

Derek said the academy application was a grueling ordeal.

“I applaud anyone who goes through the entire process, as they must be qualified academically, medically, and from a physical standpoint, and pass certain criteria,” he added.

Residing in the Woodmont community, Brock is following a family tradition: his father and both of his grandfathers have served in the military. He is a graduate of Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale and began considering a military academy a few years ago.

Brock Peyton, courtesy of Peyton family

“Brock has a real strong sense of patriotism. He wants to serve his country and the people, and the military is one way to do that,” his father said. “It is also an excellent opportunity for him personally because he has future career aspirations of being in the law enforcement or even FBI, and the academy is a great precursor to that.”

Watching the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia back in 2019 was also an inspiration to Brock and a chance to see the camaraderie and the spirit of West Point.

“My wife and I, his older brother Tristan, and our extended family are all very proud of him. He has worked hard for this,” said Derek.

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Agrippina Fadel

Agrippina Fadel grew up in Siberia and received her master's in journalism from Tyumen State University. Agrippina is also a writer and editor at Draftsy.net. She has been a US resident for over ten years and speaks English and Russian.