FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — Only one percent of Americans sign up to serve in the military, and some of them go above and beyond what is asked of them.
These are people like Corporal Jalen Britt, a proud soldier serving in the 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment on Fort Cavazos — but Fort Cavazos isn’t where his story begins.
That would be Augusta, Georgia.
”It started off as a small town and then the cyberschool moved in and it just slowly, slowly became a city,” CPL Britt said.
He was a young military dependent determined to stay active and succeed.
”I played a little bit of flag football,” CPL Britt said.
"I played baseball, and then throughout most of my time in high school, I started to focus on marching band.”
With a long history of military service in his family and a lot of time spent with his dad at work, joining the Army was always in the cards.
”I would sit in his office — go with him whenever he had to go somewhere. To a formation or his motor pool, had to do any kid of work outside," CPL Britt said.
"If it was a day I had off from school, he would take me with him.”
Now he follows in his father’s footsteps, but doesn’t just do his normal duties, he goes above and beyond with volunteer work and doing things like picking up trash around post.
"He's always constantly finding something to do with his time,” said 1SG Kyle Bassett, CPL Britt's NCO.
“Rather than just chill out in the barracks room or just sitting in the office idling."
He is honorably serving his country and continuing the legacy of his family legacy and that is why he has a message for his father.
”I am trying my best every day to make you proud even though I know I have,” CPL Britt said.
"I’m still trying to do it even more every day.”
CPL Britt is a proud 1st CAV soldier who goes above and beyond his normal duties that also include being the driver his Command Sergeant Major.
