From Boot Camp to Big Gulps

From Boot Camp to Big Gulps

Ellensburg native Bryan Elliott (‘14) says that being involved in CWU’s Army ROTC program, the Douglas Honors College, and serving as ASCWU president helped prepare him for a career in the military.

“The year and a half I spent on student government was very rewarding and provided a lot of opportunities for growth,” Elliott said recently. “Even today, I often draw on some lessons I learned from my time with ASCWU.”

Upon graduating, Elliott earned a commission in the Army as an armor officer and moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, for training. After completing schooling, he was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

While at JBLM, he met his wife, Sierra, also a CWU alum. They moved to Alabama for a year so Elliott could teach ROTC and then returned to Washington in 2019 as he transitioned out of active duty and into the Washington Army National Guard.

But in summer of 2019, Elliott was called upon to deploy with the National Guard to Jordan for a train-and-advise mission. He returned from deployment last summer and is now reunited with his wife and their 1-year-old son, Jackson. He now works as a field consultant with the convenience store chain 7-Eleven.

“I have deployed with at least six fellow CWU alumni which has been an incredible experience,” said Elliott. “It is great to see how much everyone has grown since our time at CWU.”

When asked what advice he would give to current students interested in the military, Elliott said, “Figure out your ‘why’ and then commit to it. There are a lot of different careers in the military and each one is challenging and rewarding in its own way. No matter what you decide to do, commit to it and follow through on that commitment to the best of your ability.”

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