El Paso twins pursue dreams of military careers at different academies
EL PASO, Texas - Eric and David Esqueda are twins. Both are native El Pasoans and both attended Silva Health Magnet High School. But that's where the similarities end. Eric is attending the U.S. Naval Academy while David is at West Point. They appeared together Monday on ABC-7 at Four.
The twins have an older brother, Adam, who attended the Naval Academy and is currently serving as a submarine officer in Charleston, South Carolina. Eric decided to follow in his older brother's footsteps and attend the Naval Academy to fulfill his high school dreams of being in the U.S. Marine Corps. "The Naval Academy commissions both Navy and Marine Corps officers," explained Eric, "so I felt that was the best bet to get a top-notch education while pursing that dream of mine."
Eric graduated with academic honors from Silva in 2020. While in high school, Eric received varsity letters in both baseball and cross country, was involved in numerous extracurricular activities and clubs, and accumulated over 150 community service hours. Because of his performance in high school, Eric was nominated by Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and received his appointment to the United States Naval Academy in February of 2020.
Eric has been recognized on the Superintendent’s and Commandant’s Lists, the two highest honors awarded to midshipmen for excellence in all mission areas. Despite the academic and physical rigor of the Naval Academy, Eric still enjoys being involved in several extracurricular activities. He is a member of the Latin American Studies Club, the Catholic Midshipmen’s Club, Catholic Choir, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, SWAT-C, and the Semper Fi Society’s Marine Corps Training Battalion. His favorite part of the Naval Academy so far has been having the opportunity to fly a T-34 training aircraft and spending a month with Marines in Camp Pendleton, California, this past summer.
David said choosing to attend West Point boiled down to personal preference. "My whole life, I've wanted to serve in a ground combat capacity and I believe the Army offered me the best opportunity to do that," David said.
While at Silva, he participated in various clubs and lettered in two varsity sports. He also was a part of the school’s Pharmacy Technician program, which allowed him to become a nationally certified Pharmacy Technician upon graduation. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in the summer of 2020. Now in his yearling (sophomore) year at West Point, David is an Environmental Engineering Major, participates in the West Point Catholic Choir, and has successfully completed Air Assault School. He intends to branch either Air Defense Artillery or Armor upon graduation.
