By Arielle Gordon
    
For the last four years, senior midfielder Tom Haller and senior defender Carter Richardson have battled side by side as members of the Colorado College men's lacrosse program. Soon, however, they will be friendly rivals.
 
After graduating in May, Haller will report to the United States Navy's Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., to begin his quest to become a naval aviator.
 
In July, Richardson will head to Fort Benning, Ga., to begin a career in the Army, first for 10 weeks of basic training and then Officer Candidate School with the goal of becoming a civil affairs officer.
 
Haller has been flying planes since he was 16 and earned his pilot's license when he was 18. His dream assignment is to fly planes on and off aircraft carriers. Richardson considered going to the Air Force Academy, but instead chose Colorado College, and after deliberating his post-graduation options, he decided to apply to the Army this past fall.
 
"They're two captains for us this year," head coach Sean Woods said. "Last year, as juniors, they were still two of our better leaders."
 
According to Woods, Haller and Richardson received the two highest vote totals when the rest of the team voted to name this year's captains.
 
John Haller, Tom's father, graduated from the United States Naval Academy and introduced Tom to many of his friends, one of whom flew with the Blue Angels. The Haller family lived hear a small airport in New Hampshire and Tom took flying lessons in high school.
 
The younger Haller flies when he is at home and is able to identify planes that fly over Washburn Field during practice.
 
"The whole team kind of looks to me and asks me what it is, and I'm able to tell them," Haller said.
 
The National Museum of World War II Aviation is located in Colorado Springs and is home to Haller's favorite plane, the one of the only flying Vought F4U Corsairs in the world, which occasionally has been spotted in the sky over Washburn Field.
 
Haller's goal is to fly an EA-18G Growler, the carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, which is a specialized version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet.
 
Haller, who has been a starting midfielder since his freshman year, is able to see how the leadership skills he's developed as member of the lacrosse program can help him become a better naval officer.
 
"There's not a lot you can transfer from X's and O's, but I've learned a lot about leadership and how to properly be the best person you can be in order to affect those who look to you for leadership," Haller said.  
 
Richardson didn't grow up as immersed in the military as Haller, but now wants to use his political science degree and Spanish language proficiency to serve as a liaison between U.S. military operations overseas and the civilians living in those areas.
 
"I think it's going to help me a lot in the career that I want," Richardson said. "Learning how to study current events, world news, and geopolitics will help me keep a better understanding of everything while being a military officer."
 
He also sees the military as a lifestyle that helps bring out the best in each person, and will help him grow as a person. Richardson will combine the knowledge he has gained from lacrosse with new skills developed at officer candidate school.
 
"Being able to follow orders, not only from coaches, but from captains and older players, working in a team environment – I think all of those things will be transferable to a career in the military. I'm excited to see who I am and what I can do." 
 
Richardson learned a lot from lacrosse and is not planning to completely walk away from the sport. He remains open to playing in a men's league near wherever he is stationed, or serving as volunteer assistant coach for a nearby team.
 
Both Haller and Richardson have grown as leaders during their four years at Colorado College and Woods sees the lessons they learned with him as applicable to their future careers.
 
"They're going to be a little more prepared than maybe someone else who is jumping into it right out of college," Woods said. "Having the discipline of playing four years of college lacrosse, being accountable for your teammates, setting an example for your teammates to follow - think all these skills are going to be really valuable when they go to Officer Candidate School."
 
Richardson's mother, Chris, is a bit concerned about her son's military career, but he won't let that stop him.
 
Both Haller and Richardson look forward to officer candidate school and are excited to give back to their country. With a little less than two months until graduation, they are training hard to be ready for their military career.
 
"We both work out with our strength coach - running, doing pushups, sit-ups, whatever we can do to stay in the best shape we can for officer candidate school," Richardson said. "It's nice to have somebody else to work with, as opposed to working alone."
 
After spending the last four years together, Haller and Richardson will go their separate ways until December.
 
That's when they plan to reunite in Philadelphia for the 2019 Army-Navy Football Game, their first as members of opposing teams.