First Student Arrives for First Patriot Academy Class

Photo By Master Sgt. Brad Staggs | Pvt. Michael Meadows of Daleville, Ind., is shown how to make a bunk the Army way by his Patriot Academy cadre instructor, Sgt. Carroll Nance. Meadows is the very first Soldier to report to the new Patriot Academy at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Ind. Meadows will spend the next nine months going to school at the academy in order to get his high school diploma while honing his Soldiering skills.  

BUTLERVILLE, UNITED STATES

06.02.2009

Story by Sgt. Brad Staggs 

Camp Atterbury Indiana

BUTLERVILLE, Ind. — Workers are still landscaping and laying bricks at the reconstructed schoolhouse. Furniture is still being delivered and assembled in dorm rooms. But the first student has arrived for the very first class at the Patriot Academy at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center.

Pvt. Michael Meadows, 19, of Daleville, Ind., has been busy re-learning how to make his bunk in a military fashion. He graduated from Army Basic Training last August and has been waiting for the Patriot Academy to start classes.

"I'm going to be a [fire support specialist]," Meadows said. "But I have to get my diploma here first before I can go to [Advanced Individual Training]. I've been looking forward to this."

Here's how it works: a National Guard recruit who dropped out of high school within 10 credits of graduating may apply for admission to the Patriot Academy. That recruit will then be sent to Army Basic Training followed by nine months at the academy earning a high school diploma, not a certificate of General Educational Development. Immediately following their academy time, that Soldier will then attend the school dedicated to their military occupational specialty, or MOS.

It may sound like a long time to spend away from home, but when the Soldier has completed all phases of the training, not only will they have a military job, but they will also have a high school diploma and a lot more experience under their belts.

Only a few students will arrive before the school kick-off, July 15, but for the few who have arrived, academic classes at the new academy began Thursday. Meadows arrived at MUTC on May 22, ready to get started, and becoming the very first Soldier to arrive for the very first class at the Patriot Academy.

"I know there will be a lot of adjusting since we're the first class, but it makes me proud to be in on the beginning," Meadows said. "Now I just have to get my bunk made right."

The adjustment period won't just be for the students of the academy; the staff and cadre of the new school will have to make adjustments as they go along as well.

"The Patriot Academy is about giving second chances to students who did not get their high school diploma the first time," says Col. Perry Sarver, the officer chosen to serve as the academy's commandant. "The program supports all 54 states and territories, so we'll have Soldiers from everywhere coming here."

Sarver said the primary mission of the school is three-fold.

"The first thing is that whoever comes in here is to get their high school diploma. That's the most important thing. That's our job," he said.

"The second thing is to improve their military training. When they come from basic, we build on what they've got so when they go to AIT, a drill sergeant can recognize the difference between every other Soldier and a Patriot Academy Soldier."

Lastly, Sarver touched on community service.

"When they go back home, not only will they have a high school diploma... not only will they be military trained... but they will know what it means to give back to the community."

In order to ensure that the military portion of the student's training is getting done, Command Sgt. Maj. Judy Macy was brought out of retirement in order to be the top enlisted person at the Patriot Academy. It is her responsibility to oversee the students' day-to-day academic and military training.

"Since the Soldiers are coming straight out of basic training, they have already had the very basic level of Soldier skills," Macy said. "We will be building on that training to a much higher level."

Since the school is located at Muscatatuck, Macy said that it is a phenomenal setting for complete immersion of the student-Soldier. However, she is most looking forward to the community service portion of the student's growth and training.

"There will be a variety of tasks from helping the elderly learn computer skills to assisting at Little League games," Macy said, with a smile. "It will be a way to help out Jennings County and develop a passion for community involvement within our Soldiers."

The first Patriot Academy class will involve approximately 60 students, but the administration foresees the school's growth as word spreads.

"We will have 500 students within three years," Sarver predicts. "After the second year, we will add female students and possibly expand the parameters for student admission. This is an exciting time to be here!"

• Date Taken: 06.02.2009
• Date Posted: 06.02.2009 15:44
• Story ID: 34457
• Location: BUTLERVILLE, US