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Millian said he plans on having a future in the Marine Corps and Patillo said he plans to join the Air Force.
The pair raised money for the trip by doing odd jobs for people around town and soliciting donations from local individuals and businesses.
Million said his grandfather was a major contributor to the trip because, when he was 19, he visited Washington, D.C., and it made a lasting impact on his life of patriotism.
The boys hope their experience will do the same for them, as well as give them an advantage in their military careers.
The forum, which the pair could be the first St. Clair students to ever attend, focuses on leadership, a trait both say is important in their careers.
"I want to make the Air Force my main career. You need to have good leadership skills to be a successful officer," Patillo said.
"In battle, you need to know how to take command, so leadership is a good skill to have," Million added.
The pair were invited to the forum based on a career survey they completed in St. Clair High School's JROTC program.
"Coming from a small town like St. Clair, it's not often that kids like us get to do something like this," Million said.
Patillo will get the chance to visit Andrews Air Force Base and Million will see Marine Corps base in Quantico.
They also will attend presentations by Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright, as well as a talk on foreign policy strategies by former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
"Imagine being 16 or 17 years old and the responsibility of securing the United States at home and abroad rests on your shoulders," said Marguerite Regan, dean of Academic Affairs for NYLF. "Through specialized simulations, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security strives to put students in the driver's seat of building a strategy that will uphold our national security. The combination of interacting with professionals and with other students in this setting ensures that leaders are being developed so the future of our country will remain very bright."
The curriculum for the forum is based on actual world events. Throughout the program, students use critical thinking, leadership and public speaking skills to tackle the complexity of national decision-making as they examine how the United States plans for peace and prepares for crisis. They employ a crisis decision making process similar to that employed by the nation's top policymakers.
Students also participate in thought-provoking question and answer sessions with highly respected, internationally recognized civilian policymakers and senior military personnel.
In addition, leading institutions open their doors to NYLFS/NS students, where they are educated in diplomacy, international affairs and military strategy.
Past programs have included visits to several government institutions and military strategy. Past programs have included visits to several government institutions and military installations, such as the U.S. Department of State, the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Naval Academy and a variety of embassies.
Founded in 1992, the NYLF is an educational organization established to help prepare extraordinary young people for their professional careers.
Forums are offered in 11 cities across the United States in a variety of career fields, such as national security, law and medicine.
Over 50,000 young people have attended NYLF programs.
For more information, visit www.nylf.org.
