Starkville native selected for prestigious Army War College

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Many areas of schooling have options for higher education beyond college: Medical School, Law School, Accounting and more.

Were you aware there is a grad school for the armed forces?

It’s known as War College, and for the Mississippi National Guard, it’s extremely competitive.

While Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Rendon of Starkville was serving in Kosovo over the last year, he received some news he didn’t expect.

“The Adjutant General called me on my phone, and I was really surprised when he did. He told me congratulations,” Rendon said.

Rendon is the latest appointee to the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, an institution the Mississippi National Guard sends only one officer to every two years.

“The Army War College is designed to… is one of the last steps along an officer’s professional military education, and it’s designed to train us and help us learn how to operate and to command and to lead at the strategic level.”

Because of how selective the college is, Rendon’s reaction to the appointed is warranted.

When he applied, he originally thought he wouldn’t get in.

“It’s a very prestigious, competitive program,” Rendon described. “I applied for it because the leadership expects everyone to apply. I got it, and I was very surprised.”

Currently, Rendon serves as the Director of Mississippi State University’s Planning and Assessment Office and said the university is one of the reasons he’s able to take the appointment.

“The most military friendly university in the nation,” Rendon emphasized, “and they do that through the support they give not only to their students, to their faculty and staff, but also through the things they do for the community.”

The program is 11 months long, and Rendon is excited to take his next step in his military career.

“I’m ready to do it and ready to go up there and have success and come back here and do some good things at the University and the Mississippi National Guard.”

Rendon leaves for Pennsylvania in mid-July and hopes to return this time next year with a Master’s in Strategic Studies.