Vince Terrell Bell, 23, son of Vince C. Bell of Sardis and Sandra Roberts Bell, Ph.D., of Midway was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army on May 12 in Chicago.

Bell, a 2007 graduate of Westlake High School in Atlanta, will be assigned to the U.S. Army Reserves Unit at Fort Sheridan, Ill., after completing additional training at Fort Lee, Va., in the fall.

Bell is following in the footsteps of his paternal great-grandfather Turner Bell of Sardis, who served in the Army, during World War II and used his earnings to buy farm property.

He also follows in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather, Molbro Roberts of Jacksonville, a retired Marine, who also taught Marine Corps JROTC for more than 30 years at Ribault Senior High School in Jacksonville.

The military tradition on his mother’s side includes three great-uncles: the late Samuel Walthour, a retired Army first sergeant from Midway and a cousin, Lt. Col. Dorothy Roberts of the U.S. Army Reserves of Midway, currently assigned in the Washington, D.C. area.

In addition to his commission, Bell received a bachelor’s of science degree in business and a minor in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

He is the grandson of Sallie W. Richardson of Midway.