Minnesota State student and Airman First Class Tony Zerwas is a motivated guy.
A little over a year after enlisting in the Air National Guard - and only six months after he'd completed his training there - Zerwas was named Minnesota's Airman of the Year in December. Before that he'd been selected by his peers in the 133rd Airlift Wing as the squadron's Honor Airman. Now he's in competition to be named the National Airman of the Year.
He followed in his father's footsteps by joining the military and joined the ranks of a family who has more than 60 years of experience in the service. Zerwas says that tradition has always been important to him.
"[The Air National Guard] has definitely changed my life," said Zerwas. "Before I enlisted I don't think there could be a better example of a person who made the wrong decisions. I made the mistake of getting credit cards that I couldn't afford. I didn't do well in school, not because I couldn't handle the load, but because I just really didn't care at the time. I was too unmotivated to do anything, really."
Joining the Guard changed that.
After six months of training, Zerwas says he had gained a new view on life. He began basing his decisions on the discipline he'd learned there and realized that life is all about goals.
"I'd joined [the military] because I wanted to serve my country and because I wanted to do something that would make a difference," Zerwas said. "After training I'd lost about 70 pounds and I realized that I could use the things I learned there to set goals for myself and achieve them. And I could help others achieve their goals too."
Zerwas is currently a Security Forces officer for his unit in St. Paul and has started taking classes at MSU. In the Guard, he is regularly teaching the student flight program, which is an introductory course for incoming airmen who have not yet completed basic training. During the past summer, Zerwas was also asked to teach combat training to more than 250 fellow soldiers.
"I guess what I want people to take away from my story is that anything is possible if you set goals for yourself," he said. "This isn't a plug for the military, or me trying to advertise myself. I want people to know that you can always better yourself but that persistence is key. You don't want to wake up in 10 years and wish you had done more."
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