The Power of Purpose: The Ultimate Transformation

College is a time when most young people experience some form of personal transformation.  Mentally, emotionally and sometimes physically, many students are shaped and molded through the pressures and life-experiences of a college environment. Luke Mosher of Marion Military Institute (MMI), found the dedication and drive to become physically fit upon entering the Early Commissioning Program (ECP) as a freshman at MMI.  After exposure to the military environment, his past unhealthy eating habits and a general lack of motivation to exercise changed once he realized that his main goal in life was to commission in the U.S. Army.  Upon this revelation--this important discovery of his purpose and his ultimate goal--Mosher made a commitment to transform his life.  He began a fitness and nutrition regimen at MMI that led him to lose over 30 pounds and begin a life of health and happiness.  

Following Mosher's ROTC training during the summer of 2016, he decided to pursue a military career as an officer through a military service academy, switching his program of study to the Service Academy Program as a self-prep cadet.  This May, Mosher graduated from Marion Military Institute with an appointment to the United States Merchant Marine Academy.  Bravo Zulu. 

Mosher following his transformation.

Mosher before, on the right. 

Cadet Vernadette Lapena (former Corps S5 Assistant) interviewed Luke Mosher to learn the details of his inspiring transformation.  See her report here: 

Some of the primary reasons for Luke Mosher’s transformation were “to get fit, especially because of the demands of the Early Commissioning Program, having to pass the physical training (PT) test and wanting to move up on the ladder of the Order of Merit List (OML),” says Mosher. The OML list is a system that ranks ROTC Cadets by their academics and physical fitness. “There are a few more secondary reasons such as confidence, being healthier, better overall, and more energetic,” he said.

Mosher began his journey through Tiger Camp, a training week for incoming ECP cadets before being sent off to Cadet Initial Entry Training (CIET) in Fort Knox, Kentucky. At CIET, he dropped 30 pounds, a significant amount of weight to lose in a four-week period. After Tiger Camp and CIET, he began to diet and exercise routinely. He believes that morning PT and working out on his own helped to maintain his transformation.

“Before [Tiger Camp], I would always try to exercise and diet, but nothing really worked,” says Mosher.  “It worked a little bit, but usually I fell back into bad habits and so the start of Tiger Camp changed everything...I lost 30 pounds over that month of ‘torture,' but after that, just starting to exercise with ECP really gave me a good motivation to continue seeing results, as well as exercising on my own.”

Mosher combines the schedule of ECP PT with his own personal workouts. He balances the two by following the ECP PT routine. He then creates his own workouts at the gym to enhance his results.  “Until recently when I was with ECP, I would just usually PT with them, and [workout] on my own,” says Mosher. “I would always go for ruck marches and other times I would go to the gym and do some strength exercises.”

To keep his strength and stamina, Mosher regularly maintains his fitness routine. “Sometimes I do sprints but not recently. But now I am no longer with ECP, I have my own exercise schedule. Five days a week,” says Mosher.

Keeping up with his drive is an internal effort, he says. Mosher believes that the key is all in the individual, but he is also influenced and inspired by others.

 “Self-motivation is the reason I continue to keep this drive up,” says Mosher. “The secondary reason is that my fitness plan is actually based after Chris Pratt’s fitness plan, the actor from Guardians of the Galaxy.” Mosher believes that following a public figure’s routine will help maintain his self-motivation and determination “Definitely having a picture in my head (Chris Pratt) that I want to reach [helps].”

Having gone through months of physical training, patience, and healthy eating, Mosher had to work hard to obtain his goals. For others, he believes it will be the same process to reach their goals. “Definitely stick to it [goals]…It’s not a week-long process, it may not even be a month-long process. It definitely takes a long time,” say Mosher. “There’s no ‘quick fix’ essentially.  I think anybody could do it, really, but I guess the best advice is to gradually slip into it. Don’t try to run 8 miles in one day after not really having to do any exercise. Gradually build up to what you want to do, to what changes you want to make.”

*Cadet Vernadette Lapena conducted this interview and formatted the article with the assistance and editing of MMI Public Relations.  Cadets who are interested in writing for Beyond the Barracks and receiving journalism training can contact Claire Sherling (MMI PIO) for further details. csherling@marionmilitary.edu.