Springstead Graduate Makes History with the Space Force

Hunter David Gloetzner has been preparing to join the United States Space Force (USSF) since he was eight years old. He just did not know it yet. He and his parents began this journey by readying the Eagles’ student to become a member of the Air Force. With the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act in December of 2019, the first new branch of the military in 73 years was established, and those plans changed.“For over ten years now if you were to ask him what does he want to do, he wanted to actually go in the Air Force,” his father, David Gloetzner, said. Hunter has been involved in Springstead’s JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program throughout high school, and once the opportunity to join the Space Force arrived, the younger Gloetzner was immediately drawn to the new sixth branch of the military.

“I have kind of always wanted to join the military ever since I was a kid […]” Hunter said. When I was a junior in high school, I heard about the Space Force, and I was like, ‘Woah, what is that?’ Space Force is the only opportunity I will get once in my life, pretty much. It seemed like the cooler younger brother of the Air Force, and since upon hearing of it, I was hooked.”

Now, Hunter is making history for Springstead High School and Hernando County. The pioneering Gloetzner became the first student from Springstead and only the second county citizen in the last three years to be accepted into the United States Space Force.

Once the opportunity for the USSF presented itself, he was told that he could always fall back on the Air Force provided he tested well enough. Though the testing was not much harder, admissions for the Space Force were naturally somewhat more difficult as applicants needed to acquire the proper clearance to join.

But Hunter has always been different. The high school senior has had a long-running pact with his friend group to act responsibly. Along with his nine peers, he has agreed to abstain from drinking, smoking, and swearing. Beyond this, Gloetzner participates in athletics such as soccer and pole vaulting, a sport in which he will even be participating in the state tournament.

“They are just good kids […] they all made this pact just to be good people,” Hunter’s father said. “It is really awesome […] I just know from a dad perspective, how we are raising him, we are pretty proud of him.”

After Hunter receives his diploma from the Spring Hill-based school later this month, he will have about a month before he is shipped out on June 25 of this year. Gloetzner and his parents will be celebrating his graduation and momentous achievement on the fifteenth of June before Hunter is sent to boot camp in Biloxi, Mississippi, later next month.

“It is pretty unique,” David said. “It is pretty cool.”