Military students early match in residency programs

Whether carrying on the tradition of service in their families or forging their own paths in military medicine, fourth-year medical students found out in December if they matched in military residency programs. 

This year, three students at the Whiddon College of Medicine – Jerry Andrews, Naden Kreitz and Peter Lochmaier – learned they will continue their medical training at military medical centers as part of an early match process. 

The rest of the Class of 2025 will go through the National Resident Matching Program and will find out their residency placements on Match Day, set for Friday, March 21.

Jerry Andrews

Andrews, a native of Prattville, Alabama, has aspired to pursue a career in medicine since high school. When he interviewed for medical school at the University of South Alabama, he noticed “a unique warmth here that I didn’t feel anywhere else.”

And, as a military brat, he said joining the Air Force was always on his radar. 

“Along my journey, I discovered the unique opportunity to merge my passion for medicine with my commitment to honoring my family's proud tradition of military service,” said Andrews, who matched in internal medicine at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio. 

Naden Kreitz

Kreitz of Montgomery, Alabama, joined the military to develop leadership experience. “The Air Force allowed me to be part of something bigger than myself,” he said.

He chose USA for medical school because he was certain he would graduate “as a confident physician and, at the same time, allow myself to grow as an individual surrounded by an intentional community.” 

With his wife by his side, Kreitz opened the email informing him that he will be joining Andrews at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for residency, where Kreitz matched in obstetrics and gynecology.

Peter Lochmaier

Lochmaier of Chattanooga, Tennessee, knew since high school that he wanted a job protecting people, leading him to enter the U.S. Air Force Academy. “I eventually realized that the best way to actually protect people would be through medicine,” he said.

The Whiddon College of Medicine has been the perfect place for him to learn medicine, he said. “It is a program that puts people first and has given me the best environment to become an amazing physician.”

Lochmaier matched in anesthesiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio. “Now, I will be able to protect patients as they go through surgery as an anesthesiologist,” he said.