Kasson Marine gets a once in a lifetime opportunity in D.C.

When Adam Bernards decided to join the military he never dreamed that it would land him in Washington, D.C. watching over the White House. 
“For me it was always humbling to have the opportunity to walk into the West Wing every day and just see all of the history every single day,” Bernards said. “That is an experience that most people don’t ever get to see in their life and I got to see it for two years every single day,” 
Bernards joined the Marines immediately after he graduated from Kasson-Mantorville High School in 2009. 
It was during boot camp that sergeants from the White House Communications Center dropped in to tell him and his fellow Marines about the presidential support program and becoming a Marine Sentry. 
After he told the sergeants and his superior that he was interested in the program, then began a very long and selective process of seeing if he was the right fit or not. In order to be in the program, a Marine must be in the infantry and meet a long list of specifications such as not having certain things on his or her record and not planning to get married within the next year. 
As part of the process, Bernards had to fill out loads of paperwork, agree to an extensive background check, go through an interview process and give permission to have his friends and family members interviewed. From the time Bernards said he was interested in the program to when he got his clearance was around 1 ½ years.