Fox High School graduate Lois Pippin left Imperial on June 29 to report to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

As part of our StoryCorps' Military Voices Initiative, we hear from three childhood friends from the small town of Webster, Florida, who all joined the military after graduating from high school.

Merced High School counselor Regina Cherf, who is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, said there are many reasons graduates opt to join the military.

The Merced Union High School District in the Central Valley, CA, celebrated 59 seniors enlisting in the military at its second Salute to Service Luncheon.