Derek Nastasi
Famous people, celebrities, athletes, politicians, and more can come out of any school even locally, even Laurel Highlands. There has been many notable alumni that has come out of LH and on that long list is Dr. Mark T. Esper.
Dr. Mark T. Esper was a graduate from LH High School in 1982 where he received his Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1986 at the United States Military Academy, and then was on the Dean's List at West Point. He served as an Infantry Officer in the 101st Airborne Division in 1990-91 and his battalion was part of the famous “left-hook” that led to the collapse of the opposing Iraqi Army. From his service he was awarded the Bronze Star and various other service medals. He was then part of a few Congressional Committees and multiple offices dealing with foreign affairs and our defense and military. In 2017, he was chosen to be the Secretary of the Army, which he still holds today.
So what does the United States Secretary of the Army do? The role is a senior official that has to be chosen by the president (which he was in 2017 by President Trump) and confirmed by the Senate like any other cabinet-level official but does not meet that ranking. The Secretary of the Army is tasked with managing the logistics of the U.S. Army such as manpower, installations, environmental concerns, communication, and financial management; which he reports directly to Secretary of Defense or top guy below the Vice President and President concerning the military.
He has recently been pushing the modernization of the military and has voiced his opinions about various subjects on the the news. He also believes that civilians play a big role in the modernization of the military and the effectiveness. Recent tests on the cutting edge hypersonic missiles is a big topic of discussion that Dr. Esper has discussed on Fox News about a month ago. These missiles can go above radar, below naval ships and then strike its target with laser precision, using commands by satellites to guide its path mid-air!