Bravo Company Cadet Matthew Neuringer maneuvers through the tactical training this week. He is a second-year student at New York Law School and participates in ROTC at Fordham University. Photo by Dorothy Edwards/LTC PAO
By Thomas Gounley
Staff writer
At age 23, Matthew Nueringer, a Cadet in Bravo Company, is working full-time as an investment banker, goes to law school in the evenings, advises New York state Sen. Greg Ball and is already a veteran of two political campaigns of his own.
When it comes to having to take a 29-day break from his regular life to come to the Leader’s Training Course, he is likely the only one who can attribute his attendance to a characteristic of financial markets.
“Liquidity dries up in the summer,” Nueringer said. “Trading is down.”
Thanks to market activity at one-fourth of its typical levels, Nueringer managed to fit LTC into his busy schedule. Needless to say, with conversations like that, it’s safe to say his background makes him stand out.
“We don’t usually get lawyers, we don’t get financiers,” said Capt. Richard Gomez, assistant professor of military science and battalion recruiting officer for ROTC at Fordham University. “It’s great to see someone like this who just wants to serve.”
Gomez said Neuringer first contacted him expressing interest in the Army a year-and-a-half ago, as he was preparing to enter New York Law School. Neuringer graduated from Fordham in 2009, and New York Law partners with it for ROTC.
The Army first appeared on Nueringer’s radar when in 2007, at age 19, he ran for city council in his hometown of Southeast, N.Y., and lost by six votes to a retired Army colonel in the hotly-contested race.
“It was the highest voter turnout in the history of the town,” said Nueringer, whose campaign cost $250,000.
Nueringer’s interest really peaked, however, while working as a legislative director for Ball back when the latter was still a state assemblyman. As part of his job, Nueringer interacted with lots of veterans, helping to draft legislation on their behalf.
“You get a lot of respect for them, listening to their war stories,” he said. “Every one of them said it was the best decision they ever made.”
Nueringer’s desire to join the military also stems from his belief that, as a matter of integrity, politicians should have personal experience dealing with decisions they will make while in office.
“I think everyone who is in the position to send others into battle should put themselves in the position of the Soldier,” he said.
In Nueringer’s opinion, too many politicians today are “getting on-the-job training” to make informed decisions, rather than coming in prepared. A staunch conservative, Neuringer’s opinion on the subject extends to the economy as well.
“I did the finance thing for the same reason I’m doing the military,” he said.
Nuerringer is looking to put his law background into use as part of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, more commonly known as JAG. And given the two races under his belt already, it is no surprise he is interested in getting into politics more in the future.
“My goal is to ultimately be in a position where I can alter the opinion the public has of their elected officials,” Nuerringer said, referring to several local instances of corrupt politicians.
For a man used to consistently being on the go, life at LTC has meant some adjustments. His schedule is still just as busy, but he’s not in control of it.
“It’s very different to have everything mapped out for you,” he said between bites of a spaghetti and meatball MRE during lunch Tuesday.
And things are different at Fort Knox than they are in Manhattan. Cadet Dan Mobilio, of East Shroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, knows Neuringer simply as his partner in navigating the day-to-day challenges of LTC.
“We’re sticking together,” said Mobilio, who is Neuringer’s battle buddy. “He’s been very reliable.”
LTC is Neuringer’s first real military experience, unlike some of his fellow Cadets. So despite the job titles he may hold at home in Manhattan, he finds himself looking up at them.
“They came here with a lot more knowledge,” he said. “It’s been a very humbling experience.”
