Family ties run deep for Mike and Cindy Mulroney. The Fort Dodge couple may not get to see their great-nephew as often as they might like, but following his life journey has given them great joy and enough pride to send a Pershing missile soaring skyward.

When great-nephew Austin Edwards was born 19 years ago this month, his future was anything but certain. Born very premature in North Little Rock, Arkansas, he was beyond tiny at just 2 pounds, 7 ounces, and faced the full multitude of problems with which parents of preemies are familiar.

“We were just happy he came home,” said Austin’s dad, Chad Edwards. “There were a lot of parents that were in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) with us that didn’t get to bring their child home. We were just thankful that all of his parts worked.”

The son of Chad and Marla Edwards, Austin Edwards has ties to Fort Dodge through many family members. His maternal grandparents, Jim and Gloria Ellwanger, worked for the St. Edmond Catholic School system in the 1970s, with Jim Ellwanger still remembered fondly as a Gaels baseball coach.

Fast-forward 19 years from Austin Edwards’ premature birth, and he is now a very tall, young cadet putting himself to the test at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Set to complete his first year as a cadet — or “plebe” as they are known at the Academy — Austin Edwards has not only passed the tests put in front of him, but excelled far more than many could have ever imagined.

“We are just so proud,” said Cindy Mulroney. “He set his mind to doing this as a younger person. He’s had a little difficulty in life, but he made up his mind and he is just the greatest champ.”

Basic training for the new cadets began in July 2024. He didn’t miss a single session, despite being sick for part of the training, according to his dad. As veterans know, basic training is brutal, and West Point is known for putting cadets to the test.

“He completed the ‘March Back,’ full load out ruck march of 13-plus miles,” his dad said.

In January, Cadet Edwards also participated in the West Point tradition known as the “Norwegian Foot March,” which dates as far back as 1915.

“The goal of this endurance ruck is to complete 30 kilometers (nearly 19 miles) with a pack load of 11kg within four and a half hours. Austin finished in four hours and five minutes, and in the rain,” dad Chad Edwards proudly added.

The Mulroneys here in Fort Dodge have been following his early career at West Point, including a brief appearance as part of a military salute during the Super Bowl. The video, which appeared during the National Anthem was only a few seconds long, but took more than an hour and a half of standing at attention, filming, during a very cold, sub-freezing winter’s day, according to Cindy Mulroney.

Whether it’s standing with his fellow cadets in a Super Bowl video, or mucking through some tiresome ruck, the Mulroneys are impressed with all that their great-nephew has accomplished.

“The march was very difficult,” Mulroney said. “All of the things he has had to do at West Point have been challenging, but he has survived and overcome.”

Earlier this spring, the young cadet welcomed his parents to West Point for the annual Plebe Parents’ Weekend.

“We enjoyed a very formal dinner, and they had a parade of the Plebes, and a lot of other family events,” his mom Marla Edwards recalled.

West Point cadets don’t exactly get the summer off. Early this summer he will participate in Cadet Field Training exercises and then a specialized training for those who volunteer to jump out of helicopters.

“He’s been accepted for Air Assault School,” his dad said.

In other words, these are the men and women of the U.S. Army who jump out of helicopters in service to their country.

With his grades — including an ACT score of 32 — and drive for achievement, Austin Edwards could have chosen an easier path to success, but service to country is part of a family tradition.

“We have somewhat of a history of military service,” his mother said. “My husband was an Army reservist for eight years. My dad was in the military during the Vietnam era. My husband’s dad was a Marine in Vietnam. My uncle was in Vietnam. My uncle in Fort Dodge, Mike Mulroney, was career Army.”

While the family talked about different college choices, their son made the choice for himself to seek out West Point.

“I told him going to West Point is like going to the NBA,” his dad recalled. “Not everyone who wants to go to the NBA goes to NBA, you need to have a back-up plan, but he didn’t really go for that.”

Seeing their son, who barely had a fair chance at life when he came into this world, succeed and exceed, fills his parents with hope.

“We are beyond proud,” his mom said.

The Mulroneys second that emotion, happy to share the story of a young man who set his mind to service to nation, and set his mind and body to making it happen.

“We are a very proud great-aunt and great-uncle,” Cindy Mulroney said.

Of course, there are three more years ahead at West Point and then five years of active duty service, plus three years reserve service. From there, who knows, many West Point graduates make a career of military service, while others seek out the private sector or even elected office, armed with the training and discipline to serve the nation in any field.

As Austin Edwards and his family are learning, West Point does nothing if not challenge every cadet. It’s a place of deep history. Then-Gen. George Washington set up his headquarters on the banks of the Hudson River at West Point, N.Y, in 1779. President Thomas Jefferson founded the Academy on the same site in 1803. It is the oldest continuously operating military base in the nation.

In its more than 200 years, West Point has produced an endless list of notable graduates.

Two of the most prominent are Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Class of 1843, who helped President Lincoln save the Union, and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Class of 1915, the Supreme Allied Commander who helped the Allies save the world.

That’s pretty great company to keep, and the Edwards and Mulroney families are backing their young Cadet Austin Edwards as he seeks to make his own mark through service to country.