McMullan Graduates Basic Training

Lyza McMullan, a Senior at PRCDHS, attended Army Basic Training over the summer. McMullan entered the Army Reserves under the split option program, which allows high schoolers to attend basic training between their junior and senior years. The young soldiers then go on to attend AIT, or advance individual training, following graduation.

McMullan described the experience in her own words:

"I left June 6th, 2022, and headed to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for a life changing experience called basic training. I had no way of actually preparing myself for the kind of change Basic would put me through. Basic taught me to become physically and mentally tough; I was being pushed and challenged to be better every day. Basic taught me respect for others and for myself, I was taught patience along with a high level of toughness. Basic consisted of three phases: the first phase being completely physical fitness based, the next phase consisted of marksmanship where my battle buddies and I learned the importance of weapon safety and weapon accuracy, and finally the last phase was my battle buddies and I learning the importance of our military and all it does for the U.S. and how respect is important to make any operation work. I learned a lot at basic but the most important thing I got out of basic was my self confidence, self respect, and my respect for all of my fellow veterans."

Next summer Lyza will attend AIT in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where she will work to attain the 42A MOS, or Human Resources Specialist. She then plans to use her GI Bill garnered from her military service to pay for attendance at the University of Wyoming, where she plans to seek a nursing degree while working for the Army Reserves.