Even if you CAN, is this really how you want to spend your last year in high school?

When your friends are partying on the weekends, you won’t be there because you’ll be at BA. You won’t be able to do any real training with your unit or be eligible for mobilization because you haven’t been to BCT. You’ll be a third class citizen in the unit assigned every dogshit detail there is. Mop the drill hall? Check. PMCS all the vehicles? That’s you. Detail clean all the weapons in the arms room? Sounds like a job for the kid!

Plus, you’ll have problems with a civilian part time job because they can’t schedule you during BA weekend.

A Reserve E-1 with less than four years of service earns $224 in a typical drill weekend before taxes. Just take it easy for a year. The Army isn’t going anywhere, but you may change your mind.