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thedrifter
07-20-04, 03:07 PM
Young Marines hold heads high


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They turn out for troop rallies, wear military uniforms and learn pride in their country

By Howard Wilkinson
Enquirer staff writer


WALNUT HILLS - Wednesday evening, at the Naval and Marine Reserve Center on Gilbert Avenue, the weekly ritual began.

A stream of cars, vans, and pickups passed through the gates, letting out boys and girls ages 8 to 18. They were dressed in jungle camouflage uniforms, forage caps on their heads, high-topped and shod with spit-shined boots.

One by one, they marched up to their commanding officer, John Rose of Oakley, a 63-year-old retired Marine with the bright eyes and white beard of a department-store Santa, standing ramrod straight to greet them.

"Sir, reporting for duty, sir!'' they barked to Rose, staring straight ahead, right arms raised at a 45-degree angle, fingers touching the bills of their caps in salute.

They are the few, the proud, and, in some cases, the very small.

They are the Young Marines.

The 20 who showed up Wednesday are part of the Cincinnati chapter of the Young Marines, a 46-year-old organization with more than 10,000 members nationwide.

The Cincinnati chapter has 44 active members, said Joseph Prell, the group's volunteer adjutant whose 10-year-old son Andrew is a Young Marine.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Young Marines have been more visible than ever, showing up at support-the-troop rallies, holiday parades and troop deployment ceremonies across the area.

In June, a contingent of Young Marines showed up at the same Reserve center where they hold their weekly meetings to see off a company of real Marines - Communications Co., Headquarters Battalion, 4th Marine Division - as they headed for a tour of duty in Iraq.

Earlier this month, they were scattered among the crowd in front of the Clermont County Courthouse in Batavia at the memorial service for Sgt. Chuck Kiser, the Army Reservist and Amelia native who was killed in action in Iraq.

The organization, Rose says emphatically, "is not a recruiting tool for the Marine Corps.''

"It is about teaching kids respect, discipline, physical fitness and a love of country,'' said Rose. "If they go on and join the military somewhere down the line, that is up to them. But they learn lessons here they can carry with them no matter where they go or what they do.''

There are two chapters in Greater Cincinnati - Rose's Young Marines of Cincinnati and the Little Miami chapter, based in Maineville. Children who join go through a 26-hour "boot camp," an orientation program actually spread out over several weekly meetings.

There, they learn military history, Marine customs, close-order drills and military rank structure.

What they do not learn is military tactics - how to fight an enemy in the field.

"That can come later,'' Rose said, "if they go on into the military.''

Once they have graduated, they can wear the Young Marine uniform and earn ribbon awards - the Young Marine equivalent of the Boy Scout merit badge - in such areas as community service, first aid, drug resistance education and academic excellence.

Like their real-life Marine counterparts, they work their way up the ranks - from private first class to master gunnery sergeant, the highest non-commissioned officer rank.

Eighteen-year-old Eric Gipson is master gunnery sergeant of the Young Marines of Cincinnati. The top-dog enlisted man has been with the organization since he was 13 and commands the immediate attention and respect of the Young Marines half his age.

"I came from a military family - my dad, my mom and my uncles were all in the military,'' Gipson said. "I wasn't some kind of problem kid who needed straightening out. It looked like fun to me.''

What Young Marines taught him, Gipson said, "was an immense amount of self-discipline and the courage to try new things. I found out I could do a lot more than I thought. I have come a long way.''

He has come far enough that Rose and the other staff volunteers - mostly retired Marines - have turned over much of the responsibility for holding formations and training to him.

The youngest of the Young Marines, in particular, look up to Gipson.

Antonio Blair, 9, of Westwood, stood at attention Wednesday, his head barely poking above Gipson's belt buckle, as the master gunnery sergeant showed him how to shoulder and order arms, using a fake ceremonial rifle.

"Don't move your head,'' Gipson barked. "Swing that rifle around your head and keep still. You got that, Blair?''

"Sir, yes sir!'' Blair replied, straining to look forward and not glance up toward his mentor.

Standing off to the side, watching the drill in wide-eyed wonder, was 8-year-old Tyler Day of Taylor Mill. His mother, Dixie, brought him to the session in hopes of enrolling her son in the unit.

"He's a good kid, always respectful to people and he has a lot of energy,'' Dixie Day said. "He knows by the tone of my voice whether or not to call me 'mom' or 'ma'am.' I think getting him in Young Marines is just going to reinforce everything I've tried to teach him.''

As Day went inside the Reserve center to fill out paperwork, Tyler asked Rose in a tiny 8-year-old mutter if he could stay outside and watch the drill.

"You have to speak up, son,'' Rose said, leaning down to the boy. "We speak out strong here.''

Another boy, a corporal, came up to speak to the commander, forgetting to salute.

"What's the problem?'' Rose asked. "Your arm won't bend at the elbow?''

Slowly, with a hint of a smile, the boy lifted his right arm in salute.

Some of the parents stayed to watch their kids during the 21/2-hour sessions.

Others, like Ken Ballinger of Cheviot, who retired from the Marine Corps 10 years ago, were in uniform as official staff volunteers. Ballinger worked for a while Wednesday night with his 12-year-old daughter, Emily.

I didn't push Emily into this; it was her decision,'' Ballinger said. "And when we are here, I'm not Dad. I'm an instructor. I'm 'Sir.' "

Diane Feeley of Clifton volunteers, too. Her son Antonio Hinkler, 15, is, at about 6-foot-5, the biggest of the Young Marines.

Antonio talked about how the Young Marines had changed his life, as his mother stood beside him, nodding in agreement.

"Pardon my French, sir, but I used to be a little badass,'' Antonio said. "I got here and had to drop that fast.''

E-mail hwilkinson@enquirer.com


http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/07/18/marines1.jpg

Antonio Blair, 9, of Westwood, participates in Young Marines drills with a jungle-camouflage uniform and forage hat.
Photos by MICHAEL E. KEATING/The Enquirer

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Emily Ballinger, 12, laughs as she talks with her father Ken Ballinger, a Young Marine staffer.

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The Young Marines, with several regional chapters, held their weekly gathering at the Naval and Marin Reserve Center in Walnut Hills.

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/07/18/loc_youngmarines18.html

The Drifter's Wife


Ellie

thedrifter
07-22-04, 08:21 AM
Young Marines increase culture, friendships during International Exchange
Submitted by: New York City Public Affairs
Story Identification #: 20047228445
Story by Cpl. Beth Zimmerman



NEW YORK (June 22, 2004) -- Teenagers from eight different countries talked earnestly to each other, sometimes tripping over the end of each other's sentences, as they eagerly learned about their counterparts. Questions and recommendations flavored with one accent after another bounced around the crowded room.

"How do you say hello in Italian?"
"Will you join your country's military one day?"
"Can you spell that for me?"
"How do you say your name?"
"If you go to Britain, make sure you have a full English breakfast."

Young Marines from ten different national units in the United States joined cadets from seven other countries in an international exchange to promote friendship and increase knowledge of other countries. The kids kicked off the exchange with a ceremony inside the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines' and Airmen Club (SSMAC) in New York City Tuesday.

"This is an incredible experience," said Young Marine Staff Sgt. Caitlin Ferrarell, who is part of North Suburban Young Marines in Glenview, Ill. "We're getting to bond with people from all over the world."

Young Marines is the official youth program of the Marine Corps for boys and girls ages eight through completion of high school. It focuses on character building and leadership, and it promotes a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. According to Young Marines Inspector General Joseph Bles, this is the third year Young Marines have participated in the exchange.

"We joined forces with the Army Cadet Exchange (ACE) program, which is supported mainly in Europe," said Bles. "We work with them to do a one on one exchange of Young Marines for their cadets." A Young Marine who is at least 16 years old visits the host country for each foreign cadet that visits the U.S.

"The first year we started with four countries," Bles said, "but now we have eight (countries) involved."

"How well they relate to each other is astonishing to me," Bles added. "They like the same kind of music and they talk about the same things," he said. "They even have the same kind of values...so they form friendships for life."

"We've spent so much time just enjoying hanging out with each other," said 18-year-old Ferrarell. "Last night we all stayed up late laughing with each other."

"Making new friends is a nice change," said Will Thorogood, a 17-year-old from Great Britain. "We're so used to meeting the same people...this is awesome!"

"It sheds some light on cultures we would otherwise never get to know," said Ferrarell.

The Young Marines will spend the next week showing the Europeans around. "We want to show them a mix of American culture and the military," said Bles.

They started in Times Square. "Things were crazy there," said Anja Wolter, from Germany. "All the lights and people...it's not like that in Germany."

The cadets also toured historic Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 attacks. Their next stop is Washington, D.C. From there they will also travel to Huntsville, Ala. to visit the U. S. Space and Rocket Center before they return home.

"When you go back to your countries, I hope you will return with a good sense of our country and our military," Peter LeBreau, SSMAC Treasurer, said to the cadets yesterday. "And remember, you are always welcome here."


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20047228926/$file/ym-in-front_low.jpg

Young Marines from the ten different U.S. units participating in an international exchange program pose for a photo outside the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines' and Airmen Club (SSMAC) with SSMAC Chairman and CEO, Ivan Obolensky (center left) and SSMAC Treasurer Peter J. LeBeau (center right). The Young Marines represented the Heartland, North Suburban, Lancaster, Camp Johnson, Ft. Lumton, Teledo, Mid Ohio, Lt. Alexander Bonnymans, Fort Meade, and Bronx Young Marine units. Photo by: Cpl. Beth Zimmerman

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(From left to right) Army Cadet Camp Sergeant Major (CSM) Aaron Fairclough, of Great Britain's RGB Army Cadet Force, U.S. Young Marine Staff Sgt. Caitlin Ferrarell, of the North Suburban Young Marines in Glenview, Ill., RGB Army Cadet Cpl. Robert Litchfield, and Young Marine Lance Cpl. John Swank of the Mid Ohio Young Marines discuss the differences between each of their organizations. Photo by: Cpl. Beth Zimmerman

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200472281430/$file/finland-salute-ym_low.jpg

Cadets from Vantaa, Finland, salute U.S. Young Marines during an opening ceremony at the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines' and Airmen Club in New York City. The ceremony kicked off an international cultural exchange between U.S. Young Marines and cadets from the Army Cadet Forces. Teenagers 16 to 18 years old participated from eight different countries. Photo by: Cpl. Beth Zimmerman

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/11105086BDE2181585256ED900425AA0?opendocument

The Drifter's Wife

Ellie