Sergeant Hilbert is an Army veteran and certified Jrotc instructor. Hilbert taught at West Point for seven years, before deciding to come to Tupelo to help Colonel Johnson bring back the program at Tupelo High School.

“The first individual I came in contact with who needed help and guidance. And it’s been four years since I did that and they’re still in the military or in the army. doing great things. We talk almost every other day. And this individual thanks me every day to help him get on track and to be successful,” Hilbert said.

Sergeant Hilbert recounts the day he enlisted in the army.

“ I didn’t know what to expect. That was my first time ever leaving home and being away from my family so the first couple of weeks it was pretty tough. But once I got acclimated and met friends, the time went by pretty quickly and it got a little easier,” Hilbert said.

As time went on Sergeant Hilbert realized he was destined to do more after his retirement in 2013.

“It was something I always wanted to do. About six months before I retired, I actually went through the process of getting certified to be an army JROTC instructor on recruiting. It made me feel good to go out to schools and talk to kids about benefits and how to better yourself. So that was my passion. And I knew that I had to do something within the school to help give back to the youth and, you know, motivate people to be better citizens,” Hilbert said.

Although, the Sergeant will miss being at West Point and seeing his fellow Cadets and students. He’s excited to help bring this program back to Tupelo High School.

‘I had been working at West Point for seven years. I live in Saltillo and the drive was 30 to 40 minutes there and three to four minutes back. I always wanted to get a JROTC program here and that’s why I wanted to work here, because now it’s 15 minutes away. So that was a blessing within itself. I even prayed about that before it was even a thought to get this program here. And now it’s here and I’m a part of it,” Hilbert said.