Dakota Lee Richards, a rising senior at Auburn High School, has enlisted in the U.S. Army with the 14-month senior training option, which allows qualified high school juniors to enlist before they graduate from high school.
Private Richards will report to basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., upon his graduation from high school. He will be part of the delayed entry program during his senior year at Auburn High School. He will then attend advanced individual training (AIT) at Fort Eustis, Va., after graduation from basic training.
Pvt. Richards enlisted as an MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) 15U, CH-47 helicopter repair. Soldiers with this job are responsible for the inspection and maintenance of the CH-47 helicopter, providing advanced mobility on and off the battlefield. These soldiers perform repairs and routine inspections to ensure the CH-47 is safe to fly.
After his 10 weeks of basic combat training, Pvt. Richards’ AIT will last 21 weeks. It will include training in a classroom and more than 800 hours of training on helicopters in a field training environment.
Pvt. Richards is the son of Michele McNiel of Christiansburg.
