By William Meiners
Herald Staff Writer
Not too long after he graduates from Alma High School next week, Corey Yates will begin his “Plebe Summer” at the United States Naval Academy.
On June 28, Yates will hand off his phone and have his head shaved. Over the next several weeks, he will endure intense training, both physical and mental, that’s designed to turn civilian incoming freshmen into midshipmen.
Yates probably wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s something he’s wanted to do since visiting his oldest brother Cody who went through the same intensity in the summer of 2016.
Cody and Corey are the bookend children of four boys born to David and Peggy Yates. Chuck and Corbin, the middle sons, studied engineering at Kettering University. The foursome range within six-and-a-half years of each other.
Peggy, for one, is not surprised that two of her kids enrolled in a military academy.
“My first born and last born are very structured kids,” she said. “It suits them to have the rules and regulations.”
Through frequent family visits to Annapolis, Corey witnessed Cody’s growth and the brotherhood he found with his classmates. He also got to see four Army-Navy football games. “Amazing” to see in person, he said. “It was one of the reasons I wanted to go there.”
A 2020 graduate of the Naval Academy, Cody is currently training, hoping to “earn his wings” this summer as he flies fighter jets. This past week that training took him to San Diego to work on flight maneuvers you might see in “Top Gun.”
What brotherly advice does Cody have for approaching what’s sure to be a lifechanging summer? “He says to run and do a lot of pushups,” Corey said.
As an honorable mention All-State soccer player, the stamina and running ability is well within Corey’s athletic wheelhouse. Something that longtime coach Nick O’Neill can attest to.
Although his life has changed significantly since then, Cody recalls marching in formation, completing obstacle courses, and having to run everywhere in his Plebe Summer.
“The juniors and seniors are pretty much running the show,” Cody said of the process that is certainly a far cry from a “normal college” experience.
Education is important in the Yates family. Peggy taught special education in Alma schools for 25 years, obtaining her doctorate along the way. She started teaching at Alma College in 2015 and just earned tenure. The boys, she said, inherited a math gene from her mother-in-law who taught mathematics in Alma schools. All four were taking calculous classes in high school.
Like his brothers, Corey was a dual-enrolled student in high school, traveling daily to take classes at Mid Michigan College. There professors, including Eric Chamberlain, Eric Sanders, and Bob Elmore, all inspired and encouraged him along a studious path. Corey will graduate high school with 32 college credits.
Navigating the pandemic at the beginning of his high school days, Corey started taking flying lessons himself at the Alma Airport. He’s put in nearly enough hours to earn his license. As the family learned through Cody’s process, the application to any of the military academies can be an arduous ordeal. With all the interviews, recommendations from congressmen and senators, along with the physical exams, it may be no wonder that only seven percent of the applicants get accepted into the Naval Academy.
Yet two Yates brothers made the cut. On January 24, 2023, Congressman John Moolenaar called Corey to let him know he was recommending him for all three military academies. It was the beginning of a dream come true.
There’s a bittersweetness for the Yates parents. A house that had once rumbled with the actions of four brothers is now a home for empty nesters. Though all of them, including girlfriends, plan to travel to see Corey in August — after all that running, marching, and pushups. And with big brother having earned his wings by then and four years of college ahead of the youngest, not even the sky could be the limit for these two Navy men.
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