USS Jason Dunham Junior Enlisted Training Team Pushes Young Sailors Toward Advancement

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Jamieson, USS Jason Dunham Public Affairs

USS JASON DUNHAM, At Sea (NNS) -- The Junior Enlisted Training Team (JETT) aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) is helping junior Sailors study for advancement during the ship's maiden deployment, Aug. 8.

 JETT is organized by and for the junior enlisted Sailors of Jason Dunham in order to maximize advancement through professional military knowledge training courses and study sessions.

"I want every Sailor who comes to a JETT meeting, to first and foremost, learn how to study, what to study and then I want them to take that knowledge and pass it on," said Information System Technician 1st Class Lawrence Mikel, program manager. "When these young Sailors become 1st Class Petty Officers, I want them to remember that their biggest and most important responsibility is to the young Sailors they lead."

 During the bi-weekly meetings, one Sailor will be designated as instructor and lead attending Sailors in a chosen topic related to professional military knowledge or study skills.

 "We have many junior Sailors from many different rates aboard, and we wanted to do something that could help all of them study for advancement," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Shantell Allen. "We organized these meeting around different areas of professional military knowledge pulled directly from the advancement exam bibliographies. Our goal is to give each Sailor, no matter what their community is, a leg up in studying for advancement exams and help them in furthering their Navy career."

 Some of the Sailors directly attribute the JETT study sessions to being prepared for their upcoming advancement exams.

 "It is always easier to stay motivated and study in a group that is supportive like JETT has been," said Ship Serviceman 3rd Class Matthew Thomson. "They always covered a really broad range of topics from naval heritage to basic seamanship to study skills. I felt prepared when I took the exam and saw questions we had studied. It's a great way to spend your time for self improvement, especially on deployment."

Jason Dunham is on a scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.