Cabot native first Arkansan to enlist in Space Force
CABOT — Kendall Crowder has always been interested in the military and loved learning about its history.
“Originally, I had wanted to join the Air Force, but with the newly created branch that houses most intelligence, computer and space jobs, it seemed to be a good fit for my interests,” Crowder said.
On March 11, Crowder became the first enlistee from the state of Arkansas sworn into the Space Force. In a ceremony at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Crowder took the oath of enlistment from Col. John Schutte, commander of the 19th Airlift Wing, according to a press release from the base.
“I wanted to join the Space Force because it would enable me to pave the way for others joining the Space Force one day — a ‘pioneer,’ if you will.”
Crowder, 18, is a graduate of the Academic Center of Excellence, or the ACE program in the Cabot School District. According to its website, www.cabotschools.org, the ACE program is “aligned with Common Core and is presented using methods such as Apex digital curriculum,
Blackboard classes, projectbased learning, classroom instruction and core-specific focus groups.”
He completed his academics there from August to November and graduated early. He said the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Cabot High School is a large part of why he is where he is today.
He began the program when he was in the ninth grade and was very active in it until summer 2020, when he decided to join the ACE program.
“The [AFJROTC] program provided me with discipline, knowledge, skills and a deep understanding of what it takes to be a leader,” Crowder said. “I was active in honor guard for two years, which has provided me with the ability to march correctly.
“I’m sure that will be very helpful as I leave for boot camp soon. I feel that AFJROTC has made me a better person, and I missed not being a part of it this year.
“I will always be grateful for the time and hours spent in the ROTC building at Cabot High School.”
Crowder said the ACE program is instrumental in allowing him to enlist early.
“I knew that with COVID-19, my year would be very different, and I decided that I wanted to move forward quickly into my career,” he said. “The ACE program allowed me to graduate in a little over nine weeks.”
Crowder said he enjoyed being able to be a self-starter and do much of his work from home. He said that depending on a student’s grades, ACE provides for limited school hours, which also allowed him to work.
“Graduating early hadn’t always been the plan, but the pandemic was the reason I chose to do it,” he said. “I wish things had been different, but I am happy that Cabot had the option for me to do it this way.”
Crowder said his dream job in the military would have been geospatial intelligence; however, he said the way job assignment works is based on scores and jobs available.
“They sort of pick one for you, and you can agree or not,” Crowder said. “Out of a list of 12 jobs, almost all of the jobs had moved from the Air Force to the Space Force, which led Sgt. Roland Ryan to ask me if I would be interested in joining the Space Force.”
Crowder said some of the other jobs he was interested in were signals intelligence analyst, space-systems operations, cyber security and transport systems, which is what he ended up with. According to the release from the LRAFB, Crowder will serve as a cyber transport system specialist.
“Looking at his professional goals and what he aspires to achieve in life, the Space Force presented a great opportunity for him,” Ryan said in the release. “It’s exciting to have been involved in the state of Arkansas’ first Space Force enlistment.
“What I love about this job is being able to change lives and give people future opportunities, and to see Kendall achieve something he’s been striving for is very rewarding.”
Crowder said the enlistment process was long because he had years of medical documents to submit.
“Imagine 17 years’ worth of medical documents and several surgeries,” he said.
With the help of his recruiter, the two of them rummaged through more than 1,200 pages and condensed them down to almost 500 pages to submit, Crowder said.
“I’d been denied entry by the Army surgeon general due to having ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), a deviated septum, cholesteatoma (a cyst in the ear) and tympanoplasty (ear-drum surgery),” Crowder said. “The burden to prove that none of these affected my ability to serve was on me, my employer, teachers and the cleft-lip/palate team.”
He said he had to provide proof that he had been off his ADHD medication for a year and a half, which resulted in the need for pharmacy records and a letter from his primary-care physician. Crowder said he had to provide letters from teachers who showed that he is able to function in the classroom without medication, and his employer had to write a letter stating that Crowder could perform normal duties without medication.
“Lastly, my cleft physician had to provide a very detailed letter stating that my ear issues were corrected and weren’t reoccurring issues,” Crowder said. “Additionally, being the mom that my mom is, she went a little overboard and gathered letters of recommendation from legislators that would help prove my case.
“I owe a great deal of this process to my mom. She stayed up many nights researching and gathering information to make this possible. I want people to know that this process was very tiring, but not to give up hope.
“There were days when I wanted to just say forget it, but I’m happy I didn’t, and I stayed the course.”
Shannon Crowder, Kendall’s mom, said seeing her son enlist means the world to her and her husband.
“Kendall had many setbacks in his life, as he was born with a cleft lip and palate,” she said. “He has overcome adversity to be able to enlist with his birth defect. It took a mountain of paperwork and long nights of research to be able to get him medically qualified to enlist in the Space Force.
“Kendall has been given a big opportunity, [not only] with enlisting, but also with showing people that dreams are worth fighting for, even when the path isn’t easy. It is an honor to be his parents, and we cannot wait to see what his future holds.”
Shannon said she and her husband both entertained the idea of joining the military when they were younger, even though she does not consider the rest of her family to be a military family. However, with Kendall enlisting, all three of her sons will now be serving in the armed forces, with Kendall’s brothers both in the Army.
“Since the third grade, Kendall and his gifted-and-talented teacher shared a unique bond and love for NASA,” Shannon said. “Originally, Kendall had planned to obtain a degree in aerospace engineering, until October 2019, when he took the military entrance exam and scored very well on it.
“It was then that he changed his plan from enlisting as an officer to becoming an enlisted soldier first. He believed that he would be able to relate more to how other soldiers felt if he, too, had experienced things and worked his way up to being an officer.”
Kendall will soon leave for Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio for U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training.
“I am extremely nervous about him leaving, but I know he has a good foundation and will be able to excel at anything he sets his mind to,” Shannon said. “I am also excited. This is something he has worked very hard for. It has been a long process, but I believe everything happens for a reason.
“I am at peace, knowing he is exactly where is supposed to be. Kendall has wanted to join the military his whole life. He has worked hard to make his dream a reality.”