Local appears on the cover of ‘Time’

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An area native, now a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, was among thousands of students listening to President Barack Obama speak at the school and the cadet’s presence landed him on the Dec. 14 cover of Time magazine.

“I’m like 4 millimeters high … It’s not a big deal, but I can say I was on it,” Cadet Jacques Oestreich said with a chuckle.

Pictured below the top bar of the E in “Time,” Oestreich said he is “one of the fuzzy people figures.”

Oestreich sat 16 rows from the podium during the president’s speech addressing additional troop deployment to Afghanistan.

“It’s always great to see the world’s most powerful man,” he said.

While Oestreich was not able to shake the president’s hand, two fellow members of Oestreich’s company are pictured to the leader’s immediate left, chatting with the iconic figure.

After leaving for West Point in New York on June 28, Oestreich, an alumnus of Dickinson’s Trinity High School, has gone through a whirlwind of changes.

Those changes have encompassed more than just being on the cover of Time magazine.

“I’ve become a lot closer to my family,” Oestreich said. “I just appreciate what my parents have done for me and how blessed I’ve been to have such a great family.”

The distance and minimal contact has been a change for the family as they are quite close-knit, said Terry Oestreich, Jacques’ father.

“He was my buddy,” Terry Oestreich said. “But it was hard for them too. That first day, it had to of taken incredible courage.”

Jacques Oestreich said during seven weeks of initial training, he was able to make three 10-minute phone calls.

Terry Oestreich said his son only had time to write about six to seven letters during the seven weeks of cadet basic training.

With a very structured and regimented schedule, including mandatory study time from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. during the week, Terry Oestreich said his son has little time to call.

“They can’t do any calling, any e-mailing, can’t listen to any music, just study,” Terry Oestreich said.

But the structure has changed his son, for the better, he said.

“He has matured a lot,” Terry Oestreich said. “Obviously he stands straighter, but you know, a much more mature attitude, like you accept the things that you can’t change and kind of work to the things that you can.”

Jacques Oestreich said while he has no major regrets about his decision to attend West Point, he would have tried to enjoy his senior year of high school a bit more.

“I was stressing out way too much,” he said.”

The cadet is serving as a sort of mentor for Trinity High School’s Kohl Koppinger, who was awarded a principle nomination to West Point by Sen. Kent Conrad.

“Before he went in for his interviews, I just kind of told him what they asked me and told him to try and relax, but that was all him,” Jacques Oestreich said.

Tags: news, local, oestreich, west, point