2 Manchester Alums Chosen For Navy Nuclear Program

MANCHESTER, NJ — Two Manchester Township High School graduates have been accepted into the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Field Program, the school district announced.

Garrett Hynds, a 2021 graduate, enlisted in the Navy and was accepted into the program before he graduated high school in June.

Frank Walker, who graduated in 2020, joined the Navy in July and was selected for the Navy Nuclear Field Program. Walker was a cadet in the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Manchester High School all four years of high school, the district said.

"This is the most prestigious and rigorous program that the Navy offers to enlistees and it is very difficult to qualify for," Manchester NJROTC Commander John Holzer said. "For our school to have two recent students selected for it speaks volumes."

The U.S. Navy said the Nuclear Field program "offers extensive training as nuclear propulsion plant operators and technicians to young men and women with aptitude in mathematics and science."

"The standards for selection for enlistment in the program are high," the Navy document said. "People applying for NF training must be dedicated to pursuing the challenge this highly technical field offers."

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