Posted on 03/04/2005 3:47:33 PM PST by SandRat
MCRD/ ERR PARRIS ISLAND, SC (March 4, 2005) -- As the children were dropped off at the All-Weather Training Facility to begin their training endeavors as Young Marine recruits, volunteer "drill instructors" stood waiting to train them.
"That initial shock from the drill instructors is what is going to make them believe they are actually going through recruit training," said Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Curran, the Parris Island Young Marines Program volunteer coordinator.
Similar to Marine recruit training, the children will be referred to as recruits until the day they graduate and complete the training.
The young recruits met Saturday from 9 a.m. - noon and performed their initial strength test, as in recruit training, with their volunteer "drill instructors." The "recruits" completed crunches, pull-ups, flexed-arm hangs, push-ups and a standing broad jump.
The Young Marine recruits will receive recruit training every weekend for 13 weeks and graduate from the program upon completion.
Each Saturday will represent an important training aspect as in Marine recruit training, such as close order drill.
"[The Young Marine recruits] will participate in all the important training Marine recruits go through," said Curran. "They have to earn the title of Young Marine."
Future Young Marine recruit training will include rappelling down the 47-foot Rappel Tower at Page Field, completing the obstacle course, qualifying during Combat Water Survival and they will simulate firing the M-16A2 service rifle in the Depot's Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Training building.
The Parris Island Young Marines program graduated their first cycle of Young Marine recruits at the end of August and will prospectively graduate the current class in mid-June.
"The Young Marines recruit training program is not made to be easy for them," said Curran. "The last cycle began with over 70 kids, and we only graduated 40 of them."
The Saturday program gives the children a taste of recruit training and the pride of accomplishing something.
"We don't expect to graduate everyone as a Young Marine, but we will try," said Curran.
For more information on the Depot's Young Marine Program, contact Aulton Kohn at (843) 263-7042 or Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Curran at (843) 228-3429.
The Young Marines, which serves as the focal point for the U.S. Marine Youth Drug Demand Reduction Program, now has more than 11,000 members, and units can be found worldwide.
There is hope for our youth.
It was called Devil Dog when I went through it.
uURRRAHHH
New name but sounds like the same program and getting good interest and participation.
Knew this would warm the hearts of all the Marines on FR.
Actually, I saw these poor kids on base once and felt sorry for them.
"That initial shock from the drill instructors is what is going to make them believe they are actually going through recruit training," said Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Curran, the Parris Island Young Marines Program volunteer coordinator.
My son Mason took the oath to join the Marine Corps today. God bless him.
Thanks for the ping!
Mason, jarhead! I like it! :)
Seriously, God bless both of you!
These kids get some terrific opportunities if they stay in the program. Last summer, my daughter spent 1 week in Illinois at a leadership school and then 2 weeks in Canada training with Canadian Cadets and Brits.
And the Navy League's Sea Cadet Program is just as good too. Believe it or not, we have Cadet CB Battalion on an Army Fort.
Sea Cadets and Civil Air Patrol are all good.
way back in the day... I was a Sea Explorer...co-ed boy scouts for 14-18 yr olds :)
The great thing about Young Marines is we start at 8 yrs old. Get 'em young :)
Got ya beat. We Start Cub Scouts as Tiger Scouts at 1st grade and it's about to start at Kindergarten. There are a few adults in Scouting with me that remember when there was such a thing as an Air-Scout and were Air-Scouts. I have a copy that I found at an antique book-store of the Scout book with Air-Scouts in it. We have a Police Explorer Post with the Sheriff's Dept and another one with the Border Patrol.
We also have an active CAP Flight and a Jr. Army ROTC Battalion here too.
And kids say there's nothing to do. The ones that complain just don't want to do the really good stuff.
L
First place to start is find a Marine Corps Reserve unit in your area and talk to the Commander. You probably will get passed off to a Senior Non Commissioned officer (most likely a Gunnery Sergeant), but hey, the NCOs are the backbone of the Corps anyways and they're the ones who really know how to get things done.
Don't I know it, bro.
Semper Fi.
L
Even this old Doggie officer knows you want the straight skinny ask an NCO and NEVER, NEVER tic of Guns.
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