WALLA WALLA, Wash. - A Walla Walla High School senior plans join the next class of cadets at one of the nation's four service academies shortly after graduating here in June-- he just had to decide which one, after receiving appointment to them all.

Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Lt. Col. Luke B. Matlock decided to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo. He started appling to all four U.S. service academies more than a year ago and recently learned he had been selected for admission and had earned appointments to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard academies. He enters the USAFA on June 25 and will be enrolled as a member of the Class of 2024. When he graduates, he'll be commissioned as an Air Force second lieutenant.

"That's pretty much a dream shot for applicants to the service academies because it's such a rigorous process just to be selected for even one. Cadet Matlock was simultaneously accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., which produces Army commissioned officers, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., which commissions Navy and Marine Corps officers, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London, CT and the USAF Academy," said a community veteran who learned of his four official appointments. "To be selected by all four academies is an almost unbelievable achievement."

Matlock says his path to the service academies began about six years ago when he joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP).

"I knew by middle school that it was time to focus on the future and create a path to get there. I've been interested in aviation for a very long time. A couple years ago, as a CAP cadet, I got to attend a familiarization program in Mississippi and it was there that I saw the Air Force pilot culture and I was hooked immediately," Matlock said. "I knew then that my future would be centered on aircraft and flying in some way. I've kept the goal of becoming a military pilot for one of the services in focus ever since."

Matlock attended Berney Elementary School and went on to Pioneer Middle School. It was at "Pi-Hi" he first met Ron Higgins, who was his assistant principal there. Luke later reconnected with Ron when he became the new principal at "Wa-Hi" where Matlock had become an Army JROTC cadet.

"When I was the  assistant principal at Pioneer Middle School, Luke was in 7th and 8th grades. Even then, he stood out because he had a tremendous drive and excellence was always his minimal standard. I always knew him to be focused on setting only the highest standards for himself, and achieving them. Later, as his high school principal, it was eminently clear that he was one of those students that you knew had a clear sense of purpose, he was someone who wanted to get somewhere and do great things," said Higgins.

Luke has taken five honors classes in mathematics, science and English, as well as 10 advanced placement classes in English, social studies, science, and mathematics. Between his classes, Civil Air Patrol, and JROTC he also finds time to be a competitive swimmer with a traveling league and has been a member of the Wa-Hi swim team for four years. Matlock has also been a volunteer tutoring reading and mathematics at Berney Elementary School where his mother, Annette, is an office administrator.

In addition to the service academies, he was offered Navy and Air Force ROTC scholarships at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Daytona Beach, Fla.

"My final decision came to several points. I elected to attend the Air Force Academy especially for the aviation-centered opportunities and the mission support activities. In the Air Force, I hope to become a pilot and fly, or even work with our country's satellite programs. But, getting to that took getting accepted to the Academy. I was amazed to get invitations to all of them," Matlock said.

Excellence and military service run in his family, according to Matlock. His father, Glenn, is a West Point graduate who went on to federal civil service after completing his time in the Army. He is currently an engineer at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in Walla Walla. His sister is an Army ROTC cadet at the university she attends.

"I hope all these wonderful people know just how much I appreciate them. I want to become a pilot and I have to thank them for helping me get this far," Matlock said. "I hope I can somehow motivate and inspire others to do their best with the opportunities we can all find if we work hard for them. I hope to make everyone proud of me who invested something of themselves in me."