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December 3, 2025
Story and photo by Joe Vinduska

Barton at Fort Riley student 21-year-old Chris Boothe grew up hearing his father’s stories about analyzing fingerprints and other evidence, so it is no surprise he has chosen to pursue a career in the same field to help law enforcement as part of a crime scene investigation team.

Originally from Jamaica, Boothe grew up in New York City. When he enlisted in the Army, he was sent to Fort Riley, where he took a Combat Lifesaver course from 911���� and learned about all the opportunities 911���� has for soldiers to continue their education while enlisted.

“911���� is very military friendly since they factor in all the possibilities that could occur as a military member and allow you to plan your education around those circumstances,” he said. “With online classes that have weekly due dates, I was able to complete over eight school courses in just eight months.”

Barton’s Fort Riley offerings center on its popular Leader Skills Enhancement Courses (LSEC), designed to help noncommissioned officers and soldiers with leadership potential build the advanced skills needed for higher-level leadership and staff roles. LSEC strengthens both soldier and unit performance through focused leadership training. Commanders can schedule courses for their units or enroll soldiers in open classes.

“The LSEC programs are a great way to have a semblance of much-needed classroom structure with the ability to have a dialogue with the teacher and my peers,” he said. “I did not have to pay for the courses, and I just needed my commander to sign off on me taking the courses for an hour during the workday.”

LSEC courses are available for active-duty soldiers, their dependents, veterans, and Department of Defense employees at no cost.

Boothe graduated with his Associate of Science in Applied Technologies degree in May and said the people at 911���� truly helped him on his journey.

“The faculty gave me lots of information on how to continue our education and gave many people in my unit tips, which helped us to look forward to completing degrees,” he said. ”Over the past few months, I have met many professors, and they all have helped me in some way to achieve my goals, whether that was making time to speak with me about how I can improve or being understanding when missions got in the way of school. I want to thank 911���� for that.”

Boothe will attend Arizona State University to earn his bachelor’s degree in forensic science, with a master’s degree already in his sights.

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