Alaska Army Guard recruiting debuts new program for high school credit, first recruit from the Valley

WASILLA — Colony High School student Hunter Skaw is the first Alaskan recruit to graduate from the Alaska Army National Guard’s new Recruiting and Retention Battalion program.

The new program is designed to help recruits earn high school credits for their time in basic combat training, according to a recent press release announcing Skaw’s achievement.

“This program offers high school credit for health, physical education or electives, for students who join the Alaska Army National Guard and complete basic training while they are still in high school,” Alaska Army National Guard assistant chief of staff, Lt. Col. Donna Johnson stated in the press release.

The new program gives local soldiers an opportunity to earn high school credit for their time spent in basic combat training over the course of 10 weeks so they can fit it easily into their summer.

Skaw graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina earlier this month, just two weeks before starting his senior year.

He plans to move on to Advanced Individual Training for his military specialty after finishing his senior year. He will embark on a 16-week long course in Fort Eustis, Virginia to become a CH-47 Chinook helicopter repairer.

“[Basic training] was a great learning experience, and the majority of it was learning how to become very disciplined,” explained Skaw. “I did come out with a few new things, but it definitely helps with maturity and also the amount of self-confidence that people have.”

Skaw has his sights set for aviation or engineering and then hopes for an opportunity to be hired full-time with his Army Guard unit. He also intends to pursue his education at University of Alaska Anchorage while serving his state and nation.

He said the Recruiting and Retention Battalion program has aided his journey in many ways.

“You can earn credits for doing something that you love, and it helps better yourself,” he said. “Not just on a physical level and an emotional level, but on an educational level as well.”

According to the Commander of Recruit Sustainment Program, Lt. Col. David Jurva, recruits can also earn high school credit for completing AIT if they are able to complete it after basic training and prior to their senior year, and it’s up to each school to decide how many credits students receive for their work at BCT and AIT.

“This [program] is something that is only available within the Army National Guard component,” Jurva stated in the press release. “It’s a great option for students who want to maximize the advantages of joining the military early.”

Skaw shared the following advice to prospective students who may be considering joining the National Guard and utilizing their new program, “Don’t give up on yourself even when everything is tough. Just keep pushing through and eventually you’ll make it to that finish line and break on through.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com