Special to The Hays Daily News

DODGE CITY -- Each year, members of Congress have the opportunity to nominate outstanding young men and women between the ages of 18 and 23 to apply for a limited number of positions at four of the nation's five military service academies.

Rep. Tim Huelskamp has assembled a selection committee to interview candidates seeking nominations to the country's military service academies. The interviews will take place in Abilene at the Eisenhower Presidential Library during the last weekend of October.

"I have the utmost confidence in our Military Service Academy Nomination Committee to interview and recommend young Kansans to become the next generation of military leaders," Huelskamp said. "Each of the men and women on the committee knows what it takes to be successful in the military, and I look forward to their experiences and their wisdom informing their ultimate recommendations."

John Pyle, Hays, has been appointed to the committee.

Pyle is Navy veteran, having served in Vietnam. He is president of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter No. 939 in Hays and is employed by the Kansas Commission on Veteran's Affairs.

He graduated from Fort Hays State University and is chairman of the Ellis County Republican Party. He and his wife, Becky, have been married 42 years have two sons and four grandchildren.