SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) — Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal (D) addressed high school students, their families, and school counselors at the 2023 Military Academy Day information session.

The site of the event this year was the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield. On Saturday the congressman spoke with interested students about a path to military service, and Neal formally accepted 6 members into the program.

He told 22News this event is important for family because of how hard these students work, “These students are remarkable by every objective measure. They are fully committed to the challenges and endeavors that are ahead of them, and I think they begin this in their early teens and if they stay with the process it is quite a success.”

Military Service Academy Day serves as a useful first step in the process of obtaining a nomination to a service academy.