As the summer progresses, Aidan will be expected to rapidly assimilate basic skills in seamanship, navigation, damage control, sailing, and handling yard patrol craft. He will also learn infantry drills and how to shoot a 9 mm pistol and M-16 rifle.

AMHERST – Aidan Johnson has been driven since he was in the fifth grade, according to his parents Lara McGuire and Michael Johnson of Amherst.

The eighteen-year-old is an Eagle Scout, Troop 22 of Amherst and a 2020 graduate of Bishop Guertin high school in Nashua.

“He wanted to go to Bishop Guertin and he wanted to take the hardest courses that they had,” Michael Johnson said. “He’s a science-oriented kid so he was really into chemistry and calculus and physics and things like that. I told him he had to take the hard courses, he had to be active in Boy Scouts and make Eagle Scout and be a real leader.”

“And he had to work on top of that,” McGuire added.

Michael Johnson said that if he did all of that, it would improve Aidan’s chances of being accepted in the U.S. Naval Academy. He was inducted into the academy class of 2024 on July 18 and is now beginning six challenging weeks of basic midshipman training as part of “plebe summer.”

Aidan Johnson’s impressive resume of accomplishments at Bishop Guertin include being president of the National Honor Society and being a top scholar award recipient. (Photo by SHARON WARD)

“If he hadn’t gotten in, he would have been just fine,” Michael Johnson said. “Because all of the things that he did would help build a certain level of character that would be important throughout his life.”

Aidan Johnson’s impressive resume of accomplishments at B.G. include being president of the National Honor Society and being a top scholar award recipient; he was the co-winner of the Larry Elliot Loyalty award, which is given in memory of the longtime Bishop Guertin friend and benefactor; Aidan was the winner of the Stephen J. Boland memorial scholarship. Boland was among the 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on Dec. 21, 1988, and the scholarship is awarded in memory of Boland who was the recipient of the All-Guertin award for the student who most exemplifies the academic, athletic and spiritual ideals of the school; Aidan was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Science Honor Society and was a four-year varsity athlete in boys cross country and boys alpine skiing.

Bishop Guertin principal Jason Strniste shared that Aidan has always been a leader in the school community.

“He’s been an involved student from the classroom to athletics to student leadership roles,” said Strniste. “Aidan has been involved in just about every aspect of the student experience. He’s a great role model and one that younger classmen of freshmen and sophomores want to emulate. He has great character and he is just the kind of person that we want serving us in his new endeavor.”

Aidan also has an older sister who also attended Bishop Guertin.

“She graduated from Stone Hill College last year,” McGuire said. “She lives out in Portland, Oregon now.”

As a “plebe,” or freshman, Aidan has no access to television, movies the internet or music and restricted access his cell phone. He is only permitted to make three calls during the six weeks of “plebe summer.”

“It is very limited,” Michael John said. “We dropped him off on July 1. This year is different because of COVID-19. Everyone used to show up on one day, then they would have this big ceremony at the end of that day, and they would take the oath of office.”

After that, Michael Johnson said, “then they would walk into the dorms, slam the doors and you wouldn’t see your kid again until August.”

Approximately 1200 candidates are selected each year for the Academy’s plebe class and each student is required to participate in “plebe summer.” Last year the Naval Academy received over 16,000 applications for the class of 2023.

“This time, they had to break the class down into quarters,” Michael Johnson said. “A quarter showed up on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, at the end of June and beginning of July. And they COVID tested them coming in, separated anybody who tested positive and then kept everyone on restriction of motion.”

Essentially, that means a 22 or 23 hour day of computer-based learning and physical education outdoors, meals are taken in their rooms and the goal is that after two weeks, everybody is COVID negative.

“You’re then tested again,” Michael Johnson explained. “This past Saturday they took the oath of office.”

Aidan spoke to his parents roughly a week ago and he’ll speak with them at the beginning of August.

“He can send us letter,” Michael Johnson said. “And we can send him CARE packages and letters. But for the most part, he is incommunicado. They take away phone and internet and all of that stuff.”

The pressure and rigor of “plebe summer” is carefully designed to help plebes prepare for their first academic year at the Naval Academy and the four years of challenge which awaits them.

That regimen is also a challenge on the student’s psychological well-being.

“That’s what it’s all about,” McGuire said. “It’s about developing them physically, morally and mentally.”

The Johnsons said that Aidan is thoroughly enjoying the diligence and exactness of the difficult program.

“He loves it,” McGuire said. “He is honored to have this opportunity and serve his country.”

“And he feels like this is the right place for him,” Michael Johnson said.

Aidan will finish in the middle of August the “plebe summer,” which can be likened to a boot camp or basic training. Then there will be the reformation of the brigade.

“That’s when the upper classman come back to Annapolis,” Michael Johnson said. “And then the school year starts. His academic school year will begin in mid to late August and he’ll then take on a full course load of a fourth-class midshipman or essentially a freshman at the Naval Academy.”

As the summer progresses, Aidan will be expected to rapidly assimilate basic skills in seamanship, navigation, damage control, sailing, and handling yard patrol craft. He will also learn infantry drills and how to shoot a 9 mm pistol and M-16 rifle.

The Johnsons said even with so much going on in the world, Aidan entered this process with his “eyes wide open.”

“We understand his motivation and his rationale,” Michael Johnson said. “We know that there needs to be people out there on ships and in submarines defending the country and he’s made the decision to do that and we are fully supportive.”

“In my core, I know this is where he belongs,” McGuire said. “This is what he’s supposed to be doing.”

The Johnsons said Aidan is not your average kid.

“He’s a different kid and not your typical teenager,” Michael Johnson said. “He’s got a really good sense of character and leadership and moral development.”

“He’s an old soul,” McGuire said. “He’s a fun kid but he’s always been a serious kid. He’s taken full advantage of doing the fun things. But he’s always been a straight arrow and he’s an old soul.”

Michael Johnson said their son has always enjoyed the outdoors and has always been very active.

“For Aidan, the idea of a long hike with a backpack, he’s done that in Boy Scouts, hiking 110 miles in two weeks in New Mexico in the middle of the summer. To him, that’s fun. He knows how to sail and he knows how to swim.”

Aidan’s other daily training sessions include moral, mental, physical and professional development and team-building skills. Activities include swimming, martial arts, basic rock climbing, obstacle, endurance and confidence courses designed to develop physical, mental and team building-skills. Forty-hours are devoted to instruction of infantry drills and five formal parades.