Andre Hearn, a Delta Company Cadet, helps his squad construct a one-rope bridge during stream-crossing training. Photo by Sammy Jo Hester/LTC PAO
By Noelle Wiehe
Staff writer
They call him “Big Country.” And while the nickname might seem obvious to some, as the 6-foot, 5-inch Andre Hearn towers over his fellow Delta Company Cadets, his motivational words and caring deeds stand out even more.
“When the other Cadets start yelling and screaming or we’re talking and they’re not supposed to, he’ll step up,”said Sgt. 1st Class Scott Watts, a Delta Co. drill sergeant.
Hearn is praised by cadre and looked up to by Cadets for always being willing to keep his fellow platoon members motivated throughout the different training events.
A Delta drill sergeant said that during physical training one morning, Hearn finished the run faster than a lot of Cadets in his platoon. Instead of sitting to rest, he went back on the track and ran alongside struggling Cadets to keep them motivated to complete the run.
Born and raised in Shelby County, Ky., Hearn moved from his family to Sonoita, Ariz., last year to attend the New Mexico Military Institute.
Living and working on a farm prepared Hearn for the 4 and 5 a.m. wake-ups at LTC, he said. He admits it is what he has done his whole life; live according to a routine and strict schedule.
As serious as Hearn is about the military, though, his relaxed side has sometimes gotten him into trouble with the LTC cadre.
“I think laughter is one of the most important things in life,” he said. “I couldn’t make it through LTC without laughing at the drill sergeants.”
That same attitude has made Hearn popular among the Cadets throughout his company.
“The other Cadets, they do look up to him, even in the other platoons,” Watts said. “It’s a good sign.”
Hearn has found that the other Cadets often come to him with questions. Even if it is as small as what foot to step on when they call a cadence, he is glad to help.
Though he is not used to looking out for anyone but himself, Hearn is still proud when Cadets benefit from his advice. One Cadet even led a march to the chow hall and chanted a cadence Hearn had taught him.
“I was back there smiling the whole time,” he said. “It makes me feel good that he went out there and was like, ‘I’m going to trust what Hearn said to me.’ ”
At LTC, Hearn feels he fits in. But even he was the recipient of some motivation when it came to events in which he struggled.
He had some trouble with the water events. Living on a farm, Hearn never felt swimming would be valuable to him, seeing as even in a 6-foot deep end he remains above water.
Hearn said when he got to Gammon Pool, where combat water survival training is held, he did not even try the stations but instead went to the three days of remedial swimming where a Delta Co. drill sergeant helped him learn the basics.
“I didn’t really swim,” Hearn said. “I did what we call throw your body through the water.”
In high school, Hearn played football and worked out, so athleticism was not a hurdle he was worried about overcoming. His biggest challenge was inexperience with swimming and being completely submerged in water.
After he felt comfortable in the water, though, he passed every station on his first attempt. He said he feels he has improved and may even start swimming back home.
Hearn also had to overcome his fear of heights to complete the ropes course and the rappel tower. The other Cadets told him it was odd that he was afraid of heights because he is so tall, but Hearn admitted he was scared before scaling the 51-foot tall tower.
Besides overcoming having never swum before and his fear of heights, Hearn is learning a lot about himself at LTC.
“By being here, I found out that I don’t really know how my peers look at me,” he said. “I found out through my cadre and drill sergeants that come up to me and say, ‘Hearn, you’re a bit overbearing,’ or ‘You joke a little bit too much.’ Where I’m from, that’s what we do.”
Having dedicated much of his time recently to the military instead of farming, Hearn wants to make the Army a career.
“He knows what he wants,” Watts said. “It’s very unlikely for a 20-year-old to know exactly what and where he wants to be.”
Hearn plans to spend 30 years in the military and hopes to work his way to the rank of brigadier general. In a short time, he said he has seen how much the military has done for him, so he wants to see how much he can do for the military.
“I’ve seen myself become more controlled when it comes to people,” Hearn said. “Not dealing with a lot of people, coming from a small area, you just have to learn that people are different. They aren’t all the same.
“You have to deal with that, and make it work. That’s my LTC experience.”
