NEWCASTLE — Lily Trandahl’s admiration for her father, Nicholas Trandahl, for his military service began when she was very young. Since she was a toddler, she’s dreamed of likewise serving her country.

That dream is already becoming a reality for the senior at Upton High School.

Lily enlisted in the Wyoming Army National Guard in January and completed her Army basic training in the summer at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After she graduates from Upton High School in May, she will head off to advanced individual training at the Gulfport, Mississippi, naval base and then be assigned to a unit.

Lily’s plan is to become an officer after completing ROTC — Reserve Officers’ Training Corps — and she hopes to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Wyoming.

“I was always interested in building things and being active, and I was a very competitive kid. The military just had opportunities for all of that and more, and it was something I was very interested in,” Lily said, noting that mechanical engineering suits her mechanical interests and affinity for “figuring out solutions to problems.”

Her desire to go into military service came about for a number of reasons, she said, but the biggest factor was the influence of her father and other soldiers.

“I just remember being proud of him and feeling like he was the coolest person ever. I was always around soldiers, and it made me look up to them and be influenced by them,” Lily said.

Her small community has also been a tremendous support, she said, because those around her knew her and encouraged her to pursue her aspirations.

Nicholas is the mayor of Upton and the assistant publisher and editor of the Weston County Gazette, and he said he can’t help but be proud of Lily.

That sense of pride does come with some concerns, however. Having a daughter enlist at 17 can be hard for a father, especially one who has had personal experience in the military and the hardships it can bring.

As an active duty soldier in the U.S. Army, he served in tactical missile defense. For some of the period that he was in the service, he was stationed stateside in El Paso, Texas, and he also served a deployment to the Middle East.

“When we lived in El Paso when I was a soldier, Lily was just a toddler but was enamored with the idea of being a soldier, even at that young age. Buddies from my platoon even babysat Lily and her little sister on occasion. The night before I shipped out to the Middle East, Lily helped me pack, trying on my armor and other pieces of equipment. Even then she was ready to serve, to go to the far side of the world in the service of her nation. That desire to be a soldier has been with her ever since,” Nicholas said.

In spite of the challenges, he said he is truly proud of his daughter’s choice to pursue this career route, and he believes her work ethic will serve her well as she uses her time in the military to further her plans for the future.

Lily also has a desire to serve her country, she said, and the military offers a unique way to be part of something meaningful.

“The military is important in our country because it offers people an opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves and makes sure the country stays safe,” she said.

Nicholas echoed sentiments similar to his daughter’s and hopes others remember the profound sacrifice that those in our military are willing to make every moment they serve this country.

“The branches of the U.S. armed forces are the ultimate deterrent and fighting force that the world has ever seen,” he said. “Everything we all take for granted about our day-to-day lives as American citizens has been paid for and continues to be paid for by the blood and oaths given by women and men laying it all on the line.”