FORT KNOX, Ky–   From his great grandfather to now, Cadet William Caroll from University of South Alabama, plans on keeping the family legacy intact.

Caroll comes from a long line of Infantrymen, starting with his great grandfather to his dad and his uncles. Caroll joined Army ROTC because of this lineage.

“It was a family legacy that I need to live up to,” Caroll said.

Family ties matter to Caroll as he looks up to his father and wants to make him proud, in any way he can.

“He is the biggest role model in my life,” Carroll said. “He’s my superhero. He’s my everything.”

Caroll isn’t just following in his family footsteps, he is forging a new path forward.

Carroll will be the first in his family to become an officer, making his family proud. He made a promise to his father and is excited to be so close to fulfilling that promise.

Cadet Summer Training is a big part of keeping the promise. Each day in 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp puts him one step closer to commissioning.

After Cadet Summer Training, he will have ten more months before graduating and officially becoming an officer.

Caroll plans on continuing the legacy himself, branching infantry and being an infantryman just like the forefathers before him.

“I get the chance to carry on the family name and hopefully be better than he [my father] was. That’s what he wants from me and that’s what I want to do, is just make him proud,” Carroll said.