Monday, Aug. 24, 2009

Fort Jackson prep school gives soldiers a second chance

At 19, Brian May was making $60,000 a year at a wood mill near his home in Mount Vernon, Wash., but then the economy tanked.

So May, who was married and the father of a small boy, joined the Army. There was a problem: May didn’t have a high school diploma or GED certificate.

At one time, people like Pvt. May would have been out of luck. But May landed in a program at Fort Jackson aimed at helping recruits earn a GED, which stands for General Educational Development.

Commanders label the program, called the Army Preparatory School, a “win-win” for the Army and for soldiers.

The Army can enlist recruits who meet all the standards but one — a diploma or GED. Soldiers get a second chance at a better life.

Located only at Fort Jackson, the Army’s largest basic training center, the school has produced 2,134 graduates in its first year and has a graduation rate of better than 99 percent, said Capt. Brian Gaddis, the school’s commander. Only 21 students have failed to earn their GED certificate.

Now, Army leaders are evaluating the program. If results are favorable, it could be expanded to the Army’s four other basic training posts, Fort Jackson’s commander, Brig. Gen. Bradley May, said in a column published in the base newspaper.

“Obviously, it has value and proven it’s been a phenomenally successful program,” said Lt. Col. Michael Bineham, commander of the 120th Adjutant General Battalion, which processes recruits arriving at Fort Jackson for basic training.

Citing the nation’s 30 percent high school dropout rate, the Army launched the program partly to “get at the educational deficit,” officials said.

Only 28 percent of people ages 18 to 24 meet the service’s entry requirements without needing either moral or physical waivers, according to Army reports. The prep school allows the Army to broaden its pool of recruits.

However, not everyone without a diploma can go to the prep school. Entry is limited to those who score at the 50th percentile or higher on the military services general aptitude test, Gaddis said. The average score on the aptitude test is 63.

Ironically, a recruit with a high school diploma only needs to score in the 31st percentile to enlist.

Just because they’re dropouts doesn’t mean they’re not smart enough to do the academic work, Gaddis said.

“None of these soldiers quit school because they couldn’t make the grades,” Gaddis said. “A lot of the young people coming into this program found it tough going out there.”

May, who’s now 22, said he quit school in 11th grade because “I just got lazy.”

When the economy soured, his boss eliminated overtime pay and dropped health insurance benefits. Having to provide for a wife and 3½-year-old boy, May decided to enlist.

“At first, everyone was telling me I was an idiot to join,” May said. “Now, they think I’m pretty smart.”

One of May’s classmates, Pvt. Manuel Quisol, also dropped out in the 11th grade when he was still living in the Philippines.

“At that time, I didn’t realize how important education is,” Quisol said.

In 2004, Quisol moved to the United States, settling in Los Angeles County, Calif. Without a diploma, Quisol found jobs such as a dishwasher or in food service.

Quisol, who’s 40, had thought about going back to school but felt self-conscious about his age. But then he learned about the Army prep school program and signed up.

But after graduating this past week, Quisol is set on becoming a helicopter mechanic and eventually going to college.

Soldiers must graduate from the school within four weeks before they can start basic training, Gaddis said. Those who don’t make it are discharged and sent home. They have to wait a year before trying to enlist again.

The school has 13 state-certified teachers, a test administrator and a project manager, all civilian employees, Gaddis said. Soldiers receive remedial instruction in science, math, reading and writing, and history.

A team of noncommissioned officers — staff sergeants and above — handle military issues from discipline to physical fitness.

Because they’ve had an early dose of Army training, the prep school graduates tend to fare well in basic training, Gaddis said. They make higher marks on basic rifle marksmanship skills and physical fitness.

Duane Norell, the program manager, also is a retired Army officer and former public school teacher.

He attributed the school’s 99 percent graduation rate to the students being disciplined and “wanting to be a success.”

Holly Moore, who teaches English, said she has a “dream job” at the prep school.

“The students know what it is to be out there and not have a job,” Moore said. “Because of that, they’re very motivated.”

Reach Crumbo at (803) 771-8503.

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