Jackson, Bell City students graduate basic training

Jackson, Bell City students graduate basic training

Army Reserve Pfc. Kevin T. White, currently a student at Jackson High School, and Army National Guard Pvt. Jason A. Hess, currently a student at Bell City High School, have graduated from basic military training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., under the Split-Option Enlistment Program to serve as a member of the Army National Guard or Reserve. The program allows students between their junior and senior year of high school to attend basic training during the summer after their junior year. After completing basic training, the recruits will attend National Guard or Reserve weekend drills while still in school. The summer following graduation, the guardsmen or reservists attend advanced individual training in the career specialty they selected at the time they enlisted.