Philadelphia Military Academy on N. 13th Street in Philadelphia is training helped 17-year-old high schooler Kaheem Bailey-Taylor save his classmate following a shooting at a party they attended, writes Carine Hajjar for The Wall Street Journal.

Bailey-Taylor was leaving a party at a cousin’s house last August when he heard gunshots.

“The suspect started shooting out the door towards us,” he recalled.

Once police arrived, Bailey-Taylor followed officers to assess the situation. Soon after, he found himself in the back of a police car applying pressure to the gunshot wounds of a partygoer.

Bailey-Taylor is a cadet colonel at Philadelphia Military Academy, where he is enrolled in the U.S. Army’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. There, he attended a 10th-grade class on first aid, which helped him save his classmate on the fateful night.

JROTC programs empower enrolled students through the chain of command. Its graduation rate of 92 percent shows that the values of the cadet creed – patriotism, duty, and accountability – are a proven formula for success.

The program also inspires students to pursue careers in public service. Bailey-Taylor plans to serve as an Army officer and then work in federal law enforcement.

Read more about the Philadelphia Military Academy in The Wall Street Journal.

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