While many of their classmates are relaxing on a beach or preparing for college dorm life, many Lawrence County High School graduates will be sweating through boot camp … and possibly preparing to fight a war.

Matt Wilson, an 18-year-old senior at St. Joseph High School, has already enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and will leave for Fort Leonard, Mass., in July. The member of the 478th Combat Engineering Battalion has accepted the fact that he could be in harm's way.

"It's war. War's dangerous. It wouldn't be war if it wasn't," he said. "It's an unrealistic view to be an operations specialist and not expect to be called up."

By Wednesday, Wilson had seen a report about Jessica Lynch, an Army PFC taken prisoner by Iraqi troops who was recently rescued by her comrades. Lynch is only one year older than Wilson.

"With POWs, their options are so limited," Wilson said. "Those that are captured have to have a lot of integrity to keep it together through something like that."

Michael Walters, another 18-year-old St. Joseph High School senior, has enlisted in the U.S. Army and will leave for Fort Knox, Ky., July 9.

When he first started watching television coverage of the war, Walters said he was somewhat frightened at first. Now, he said he feels confident with the Army and other military personnel who follow through with their missions despite extreme circumstances.

"If I'm asked to go, I won't have a second thought about it," he said.

He said he is proud to see the soldiers continuing to do their jobs, even though some of their comrades are getting captured or even killed by enemy fire.

Nineteen-year-old Corey Foxwell, a senior at South Point High School, will be continuing a family tradition when he enlists in the U.S. Air Force. His father served in the Air Force during Vietnam and is quite proud of what he is doing, Foxwell said.

"He said it's a family business now," he said.

Foxwell will do his basic training in San Antonio, Texas, and then enter technical school. The current situation in Iraq did not influence his decision to enter the military because he decided to join two years ago.

Saddam Hussein, he said, is getting what he deserves.

"We gave him all that time," Foxwell said. "He put it on himself."

One of his senior classmates, Carmine Bosco, 17, has already enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

"I'm a little scared, but I know it will be good for me. I'll be able to better my life," he said.

On June 23, Bosco will leave for Chicago for boot camp and will be in Pensacola, Fla., for 11 weeks afterward. Until then, he has been watching the war coverage.

"I really don't know what to think about what I see," Bosco said.

His mother is proud, but nervous at the same time.

"She prays for me," Bosco said.

Paul Rockel, an 18-year-old senior at Dawson-Bryant High School is preparing to join the U.S. Air Force. Some members of his family are no strangers to war.

"My uncle was in the Army in Vietnam," he said. "He lost fingers and toes when someone in front of him stepped on a land mine."

"I'm proud of him, but I can tell he doesn't like to talk about it too much."

Now, Rockel has been watching the war he may fight on television.

"I commend the soldiers for what they're doing," he said. "I know they have to be scared, but it's probably exciting and an adrenaline rush."

Because he has not yet enlisted, his decision to do so has some of his friends somewhat perplexed.

"They think I'm crazy," Rockel said. "They wonder why I'm doing this during a war. But, some of them look at it as a good thing. They look up to you and respect you, and that's always good to have."

One of Rockel's classmates, 17-year-old Mike Young, has already enlisted with the U.S. Army. He will leave in August for Fort Jackson, S.C.

"When I took the oath, it made me feel real good. I felt like I'd whooped the world," Young said.

Young will be working as a mechanic in the Army and plans to attend college, and he later wants to have a career in law enforcement. However, college and a career are not his only priorities.

"I didn't join just for school money. I'm going to serve my country."

Jeremy Thornton, an 18-year-old senior at Symmes Valley High School, is leaving June 11 for Fort Sills, Okla. He has already enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard, and his mother is getting used to the fact that her "redheaded kid" will be a soldier.

In Thornton's opinion, the war is tragic, but it must be done. During the past 12 years, diplomatic action against Iraq did not change anything, he said.

"It was the next step we had to do," Thornton said.

The military is a family tradition for Thornton. His father once served in the U.S. Navy, and an uncle once served in the Air Force. Now, he looks up to those currently serving overseas.

"I feel sympathetic toward them and their families, but I also see them as heroes," he said.

Jeff Bridges, an 18-year-old senior at Rock Hill High School, has already enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He will leave July 22 for basic training in Chicago and will be in Pensacola, Fla., afterward.

Even though he hopes that no more civilians die as a result of the fighting and the troops return home soon, Bridges supports those who are fighting overseas because they are brave and fighting for their country.

"I think we made the right move to get them before they get to us," he said.

Most of Bridges's friends have decided that the military is not for them, but they still support his decision. Despite some apprehension, his family believes that military service would be a good option for him.

"My mom is a little scared, but both of my parents are really proud of me," he said. "They look at it as a good thing because there's no jobs around here."

Besides possibly attending college while in the Navy, getting to travel is also exciting for Bridges.

"I feel pretty proud and anxious to leave. I really want to see what it's like," he said. "Life is short, and I want to see as much of the world as possible."