From enlisted infantryman to scout platoon leader: A 1st Lt.'s path through the Army

AULI, India — Before 1st Lt. Maximilian Nalepa led a scout platoon through the Himalayas during Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026, he spent four years as an enl… AULI, India — Before 1st Lt. Maximilian Nalepa led a scout platoon through the Himalayas during Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026, he spent four years as an enlisted infantryman, a path he chose deliberately before ever putting on officer's rank. Nalepa, the scout platoon leader for 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, grew up in a suburb of Chicago and enlisted in the Army in 2016. He served four years as an infantryman before attending West Point through the Army's enlisted-to-commissioning program, commissioning as an officer in 2024.

"There were a lot of things that I wanted to do and accomplish, and challenges that I wanted to face, that I felt would be better to face as a soldier," Nalepa said. "I wanted to serve in the Ranger Regiment, and was fortunate enough to do so. I wanted to go to Ranger School. I wanted to deploy. Those things created a lot of meaning for me, and a lot of lessons that I've been able to take with me and help share with my soldiers." Nalepa said his enlisted time shapes how he leads his platoon today,