“I will be able to study more about the Army’s relationship
with various departments, particularly the Department of Commerce,” said
Mobley, who earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from West Point. “This
will give me knowledge of how government works so I can apply that to my Army
background.”
Mobley is among one of four Army officers enrolled with civilian
students on a path to earn a master’s in public administration from the school
named after President John F. Kennedy. Upon graduation he will become an Army
strategist in the Pentagon.
Mobley has served as platoon leader of the 160th Airborne
Special Operations Aviation Regiment, consisting of 13 pilots, 26 soldiers and
10 Apache Longbow helicopters in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Highly decorated, he
has been awarded with Air, Meritorious Service, Army Commendation and Army
Achievement medals and a Valorous Unit Citation.
Mobley, in a telephone interview Saturday, recalled his high
school years, which eventually led him to a military career and back home
occasionally to encourage high schoolers to commit to excellence. The former
Beech Grove three-sport athlete and National Honor Society inductee contends,
“Excellence is a lifestyle, not an achievement.” He admitted
that the camaraderie, teamwork and discipline at West Point was fostered in him
through club and high school wrestling, where he became a state finalist.
“The wrestling room there is a storied tradition,” said
Mobley, who also played football and ran on the track team. “The coaches taught
me how to work hard, how to prepare to win and how to seize the moment to win.”
The foundation to his pathway to West Point was laid during
his junior year when realizing that college would be too expensive. He served
as an intern in May 2007 to former Sen. Richard G. Lugar.
“I grew up in a blue-collar family,” Mobley said. “I was
willing to work harder and sacrifice more. My school day was early morning
workout, classes, after-school workout and studying. No one was going to
outwork me.”
He has returned to Beech Grove for special occasions:
receiving the key to the city from former Mayor Joe Wright in 2010, speaking to
the 2013 National Honor Society inductees, and being the inductee into the high
school's Hall of Fame in 2017.
His parents served the city; his late father Paul David
Mobley was a city councilor, and mother Nancy is a former school board member.
His remarks to the inductees in 2013 should serve as inspiration to students
today:
“Every year at West Point forced me out of my comfort zone,
and each time I fell back on the fundamentals from my Beech Grove experience
that led me to be successful: working harder than my peers, a willingness to
seize opportunities, and the ability to make allies by treating people well.
Your high school experience will not define your life, but it will perpetuate
your future success.”
In return, he has presented his West Point sabre and
American flags that flew in Afghanistan to the school and to the city. Mobley
continues to urge today’s students to excel by stepping from their comfort zone
and to experience new challenges.
“To be successful, you have to stay hungry and show
diligence and grit. You will find that the harder you work, the more
opportunities you will have.”
SOURCE: The Southsider Voice
By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer