Posted on 07/29/2005 5:08:52 PM PDT by SandRat
New York (July 29, 2005) -- Marines from 6th Communication Battalion joined officers of the 101st and 75th precincts of the New York Police Department in teaching children about leadership and drug awareness through the Drug Education For Youth (DEFY) program held at Floyd Bennett Field, recently.
The Marines ran the program from July 5 to July 15. The program, which focuses on building the self-esteem of inner city children ages nine through 13, was created to help the children resist the temptation of drugs and gangs.
During the program, groups of children from Far Rockaway and East Brooklyn participated in several events. The children were broken up into teams of six, and each team had a Marine as its group leader.
“I had the smallest group…I had ten kids. I enjoyed it, because I have a son, and I know it was good for these children. If you ask these kids they’ll tell you, ‘I’m from the ghetto.’ They don’t usually get to do this type of stuff,” said Sgt. Valerine Perez, data information systems coordinator for 6th Communication Battalion.
Through the program, the children studied ecology, compass navigation, and drill with a Marine to motivate them along the way. At the end of the program, the children got a chance to meet the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.
“At the graduation, it was sad to see the kids go. A lot of them were either excited about going back to school or wanted to stay with us. In the end we had given them a sense of accomplishment, and they were motivated,” said Perez.
Marine Ping
The only thing that is better than a damn good Marine is a damn fine Army guy. hahahaha!!! Semper Fi and God Bless the Marine Corps. Those children will remember this the rest of their lives and know they have a home to go to if they ever have the need.
You have really GOT to be proud of these people. They are what make this country great!
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