Thomas Hoyt grew up in a military family. His Dad had served in the Navy, and his Mom was in the Army and had been on the faculty in the Department of Systems Engineering. After High School, Thomas decided to join the military and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After Boot Camp at Parris Island and the School of Infantry at Camp Lejune he was assigned as a machine gunner. He deployed to Afghanistan twice with the Marines, and on his second deployment he applied for admission to the United States Military Academy. After being selected for West Point, he redeployed, transferred from the Marines to the Army, and arrived at West Point with the Class of 2016. In this interview, he discusses why he picked the Marines and the challenges of Boot Camp and the School of Infantry. He describes his deployments to Afghanistan and the difficulties with applying for West Point from overseas. Finally he talks about his experiences as a Cadet and how they have compared to his experiences as a Marine.