Sharp Young Marines learn some core values

[thedrifter]

Sharp Young Marines learn some core values
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
By KARL M. REXER
krexer@repub.com

CHICOPEE - Their boots are polished to a glass-like shine, the creases in their uniforms are razor sharp and precise.

As they form up in a hangar on Westover Air Reserve Base in front of a large American flag, their postures are ram-rod straight, shoulders thrown back and chests pushed out.

These are the few, the proud, the Young Marines.

The Young Marines organization was founded in Waterbury, Conn., in 1958 by members of the Marine Corps League. Since then it has grown to over 190 units with more than 8,000 members.

The Westover unit was established in October 1996 and currently has about 60 members. Retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Edward Mitrook of East Longmeadow has been the unit's commanding officer almost from the beginning.

"This is basically a mentoring program," Mitrook said. "It teaches the kids leadership, discipline, respect for themselves and others and physical fitness. A lot of kids today are very negative. We try to keep them positive."

Robert W. Dittrich Jr., 47, of Holyoke, the unit's executive officer, stressed, "This is a lifestyle. It's a commitment to live a certain way."

"We teach a healthy lifestyle: drug-, alcohol- and tobacco-free," said Dittrich, a police officer. "We emphasize leadership and the Marine Corps core values, which are honor, courage and commitment."

"The best way to describe it is Scouting with an attitude," he added.

The Young Marines program is open to kids ages 8 to 18, or until they finish high school. Westover's program consists of year-round Thursday night drills with classroom instruction in subjects ranging from various Young Marine subjects and military history to fire safety and prevention, DARE and American history.

During drill Young Marines also practice close order drill, inspections, drilling techniques and conduct physical training.

Young Marines also participate in various weekend encampments, leadership schools and summer adventures such as Revolutionary and Civil War re-enactments and Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala.

Participation is dependent on good progress reports from parents and teachers, and maintaining good grades in school. To ensure members are meeting their commitments, each Young Marine's progress is monitored by the unit. "They're really motivated to do well," Dittrich said. "Good reports earn rank."

"We always tell the parents 'Don't sugarcoat it,'" Mitrook said of the weekly reports. "We can't know if they're bad at home unless you tell us."

"We're not a substitute for parents," Dittrich added. "We'll do our job here, but you have to do your job at home."

Sgt. Megan E. Leahan, 17, a high school junior from Northampton, is a five-year Young Marine veteran. "It's just a really great program, sir," she said. "It's taught me discipline and respect. I did better in school and better at home after I joined. It gives me a lot of pride in myself, sir."

Lance Cpl. Ashley E. Salem, 12, commutes from Clinton for every drill. "I love this program, sir," she said. "There's other units closer to where I live, but I would never leave Westover, sir. It's just No. 1, it's the best unit, sir."

"I like the integrity of the Marines, and I feel good to be in a program like this, sir," she said.

Those who have never encountered a Young Marine before might find all the "sirs" and "ma'ams" discomfiting until you realize that it's not meant as "Eddie Haskell" style flattery or irony, but as genuine respect.

"I've had teachers call me asking 'What did you do to this kid, did you brainwash them?'" Mitrook laughed. "Because after two weeks with us it's all 'yes sir,' and 'no sir.'

"To me, this program is about making leaders and helping kids become good citizens," Dittrich added.

"These kids come in, all ages and all different walks of life, and in two or three weeks they're looking out for each other and helping each other out," Mitrook said. "A couple of weeks before, if they'd met in the mall, they probably wouldn't have spoken to each other, but now they're a team."

For more information about the Young Marines, go to www.youngmarines.com. To find out more about the Westover Young Marine unit, or to find out when the next registration night is scheduled, contact Mitrook at (413) 525-0924.

The Drifter's Wife

Ellie

[Almosthere2005]

Wish I had known about this when I was a kid.

[Old Marine]

Anyone know if we still have the Devil Pup program at Camp Pendleton??????

This was an outstanding program for those too young to enlist.

[LivinSoFree]

Wish I had the time to get involved with a program around here, looks like some good stuff.

[Osotogary]

Pluto with a pitch-fork! Yessiree. It was an outstanding program when I was a "Devil Pup" (right around the time that I swore I would never listen to that new music called "rock and roll") LOL.
Traversed up "Old Smoky" without a pack, swam in a pool that we were instructed not to P into because we would never swim in someones toilet, ate at the Mess/Chow Hall. I believe there were quonset facilities back then, saw alot of demonstrations, practiced self defense on the sand....good stuff.
Old Marine..me thinks that the Devil Pup Program has been renamed.

[thedrifter]

Discipline is at the heart of Young Marines



By JEFF LIPPMAN

Special to The Sun

"Attention!" bellows the drill instructor as the cadets scatter into position with their arms dangling to their sides - except for one young cadet toward the center of the formation. His hands nervously find his pants pockets.

In the United States Marine Corps, that young man might hear an obscenity-filled tirade and be punished with push-ups.

But this isn't the Marine Corps. Here, the drill instructors treat the cadets - children ages 8 to 18 - with a good deal more respect. They don't think of themselves as drill sergeants so much as teachers.

Welcome to the Milton Lewis Young Marines unit in Gainesville, named for a Gainesville-born Marine war hero killed in action in World War II. Using the values of the USMC, the Young Marines is a nationwide program that stresses excellence in academics, discipline and a drug-free America. The group receives funding from the USMC.

Their mission, they say, is to promote the mental, moral and physical development of young Americans while emphasizing the Marine Corps values of honesty, courage, respect, loyalty, dependability and a sense of devotion to God, country, community and family.

Improving character
The program began in Waterbury, Conn., in 1958, when members of the Marine Corps League (Marines no longer on active duty) formed the Young Marines. By 1960, the small group grew to more than 300. The Young Marines became a national program in 1965.

Gainesville's program was founded in 2003. Bob Gasche has been the commanding officer since the beginning.

Gasche is an 80-year-old veteran of Iwo Jima and Korea. His teaching and Marine Corps background make him a superb commanding officer, says Brian Shepard, father of three boot-camp graduates and current Young Marines. Shepard attends church with Gasche at Faith Presbyterian Church in Gainesville.

"Bob Gasche is quiet but firm," Shepard says. "When he talks, you just listen. The officers all have children themselves, and they are all good mentors and teachers. And that is what they do, they teach. Bob was a school teacher most of his adult life, and it shines through."

An initial cost of $45 gets a child into the five-week training boot camp.

If boot camp is completed successfully, a fee of $30 per year will keep them advancing through the ranks of the Young Marines.

Aside from the boot camp, the group meets throughout the year and also attends competitions.

So why would you want to put your child through boot camp?

"We are not a recruiting program for the Marines," executive officer Scott Dupree says, "and we are certainly not an in-your-face rehabilitation program. Parents love the fact that we stress discipline. We want that to carry over to their homes. They should be saying 'Yes, sir' and 'No, ma'am' at home as well."

Dupree compares the program to a hybrid of Boy Scouts meets high-school ROTC. He thinks of himself as a teacher, not a disciplinarian, and will tolerate a lot more while still making sure the cadets know who is boss.

The goal is to improve the children from the ground up, to make them better citizens in every aspect of life, teaching them respect, discipline and physical fitness while keeping their self-esteem levels high.

"Half of you are turning the right way, but half of you are still turning the wrong way," barks training officer Sean Morrison with a frown on his face that quickly turns into a grin. "The good thing about that is, the half that turned the wrong way did it in the proper manner."

Maturity required
This year's boot camp began on Feb. 12 and ran every Saturday for the five-week period at Faith Presbyterian Church. Dupree stresses that, although any child age 8 to 18 is eligible, this program isn't for everybody.

Twenty-two new recruits showed up on the first day of training. By the end of the second week, 20 remained. The other two were dismissed due to immaturity.

Dupree says children do not belong in the program until they have the maturity to grow from the experience. When such a case arises, it is dealt with by a call to their parents telling them to pick up their child and to come back next year.

Allessandra, 8, one of three girls in this year's training class, was the second child dismissed from the camp. She spent most of the second week screaming and crying for her mother, lying on her stomach beating the ground, and running in wild zigzag patterns while moaning at the top of her lungs.

Dupree attempted to make it his personal challenge to reach Allessandra - who has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder --- but he ultimately failed.

With the other recruits becoming distracted by her outbursts, there was no choice but to call her mother to come pick her up, he said.

Drills and fitness
The 20 remaining recruits spend a typical 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. day like this: After opening ceremonies - including the Pledge of Allegiance and announcements - the recruits go outside for drills.

Following drills, they go back into a classroom setting and complete Marine-related class work for upcoming tests they will need to pass in order to graduate. Lunch comes next. Then it's outside again for more drills, and finally they end the day with a physical training session.

Physical training consists of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, a standing long jump and a run. Each week, the cadets record their scores in hopes that by the end of the program they will have improved their conditioning dramatically.

Some recruits are more athletic than others and can achieve higher scores early. Brian, 9, who is perpetually in competition with his older brother, did 97 sit-ups in two minutes. His brother could only manage 88.

By the end of the camp, all recruits are tested on their physical fitness levels in order to graduate the program.

Push-ups are, by far, the most difficult exercise for the recruits.

By the second week of camp, there was only one recruit who could complete consecutive push-ups with decent form, and he could only do three.

Most recruits resembled wounded worms as they contorted their bodies up and then violently flopped back down on their stomachs, repeating these steps until the two-minute session was over.

Ryan Dupree, 14, Scott's son, graduated the basic-training program during its first year and climbed through the ranks. Push-ups were difficult for him at first, but over the course of the program, they got easier until it was nothing for him to drop down and complete 50 at a time, he says.

One of Shepard's three children who graduated the program, Raymond, 16, has a similar story.

"Before I got there, I couldn't do very many push-ups, and now I am at over 70 in two minutes," he says.

Raymond says joining the Young Marines, beginning with boot camp, was one of the best experiences of his life.

"You just got to try hard and keep at it," Raymond says. "I came a long way. I actually play football now. If you keep trying, you will get there. I am in better shape now, I look better, I feel better, and I am able to do more stuff."




Recruits meet year-round
Although the Milton Lewis Young Marines' spring boot camp has been completed, Young Marines meet year-round. Their next meeting will be today at Faith Presbyterian Church, 5916 NW 39th Ave. Graduation for the just-completed boot camp is tentatively scheduled for April 23.

on front
Want to get involved?

What: Milton Lewis Young Marines unit, part of a nationwide program that stresses excellence in academics, discipline and a drug-free America.

When: Boot camp for recruits is held twice a year. The next one will be in the fall.

Where: Faith Presbyterian Church PCA, 5916 NW 39th Ave.

Who is eligible: Young people ages 8 to high-school seniors
Cost: $45 for five-week training boot camp. If boot camp is completed successfully, an annual fee of $30 will keep them advancing through the ranks of the Young Marines
For more information: Call Scott at 336-5822 or Bob at 376-0402, or go online to www.miltonlewisyoungmarines.com

The Drtifter's Wife

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Parris Island recruits take first steps in Marine training
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WISTV.com

(Parris Island) March 30, 2005 - Every week of the year hundreds come to what the Marines refer to as "The Island."

They come from all over the East Coast. A sound they will never forget is the first time they hear a drill instructor,"Congratulations on your decision to become a Marine. It's one that you never ever forget."

In a place where people are transformed they start out with different clothes, backgrounds, expectations. One of the few things in common is what they don t know. Recruit angelo perez relays the mood of the group, "everybody is kind of real tense, not knowing what to expect or do next."

Right away the recruits make a phone call and read from the same script, "This is recruit (last name). I have arrived safely at Parris Island. Please do not send any food or bulky items to me in the mail. I will contact you in three to five days by postcard with my new address. Thank you for your support. Goodbye for now."

It's the last time they'll talk to their families for three months.

One recruit is not taking the call too hard, "Well, you always want to tell your mother you love them, but she knows it. Moms know."

From there, a contraband lecture, everything but their jewelry, money and an address book must be thrown away.

At 10:00 at night, recruits are told to rest and wait for the next step. You can hear a pin drop, except for the occasional sniffle. Recruit Perez says he's sure, "that I want to get through this and I'll feel better about myself once I'm done."

SSgt. Michael Vicente comments on the recruits, "Right now there are some that are just highly motivating and looking like, oh, they're going to be awesome, and you have some that just look just scared to death. So there's just no way to tell. It takes about a good month before you know what kind of recruit or Marine they're going to be."

One of the first rites of passage is the haircut. It takes about 30 seconds for a full head of hair to be gone.

Most Marines will tell you the idea of recruit training is to tear away at the individuals and then build them up again as a team, and afterwards, many will testify to the change it has made in them.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Fit to fight <br />
Submitted by: MCRD San Diego <br />
Story Identification #: 20054112710 <br />
Story by Cpl. Jess Levens <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Apr. 1, 2005) -- Three days before...

[thedrifter]

A few good kids
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Bill Carey
Berkshire Eagle Staff

LEE, Mass. -- The Marine Corps is known for instilling honor and discipline in even the most hardened individual, but a 12-year-old?

Fortunately, there is an alternative to the Corps' notoriously demanding boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., for everyday kids interested in the military and for parents looking to enroll their children in a beneficial program. There is the Young Marines, a national program with a local unit at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee.

A nonprofit education program for boys and girls ages 8 to 18, the Young Marines was founded in Waterbury, Conn., in 1958 by members of the Marine Corps League, a military service organization. The Westover unit was started in 1996.

"We teach a healthy lifestyle: drug-, alcohol- and tobacco-free," Robert W. Dittrich Jr., the unit's executive officer, told The Republican of Springfield recently. "We emphasize leadership and the Marine Corps' core values, which are honor, courage and commitment. The best way to describe it is Scouting with an attitude."

Zach Sorrentino, 12, a sixth-grader at Lee Elementary School, is one of the new "recruits" to the program, which his mother, Vicki Sorrentino, discovered by surfing the Internet.

The program consists of weekly drills and training on Thursday nights -- 2-1/2-hour sessions during which Vicki Sorrentino says she reads or visits the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.

Zach currently is "boot camp" status and will train for a weekend with his platoon of 23 boys and girls before graduating May 6. The program continues year-round and features at least two encampment weekends with other Young Marines units.

"You have to do push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, jumping jacks -- a lot of different exercises to warm your body up. And also it's drilling, marching, saluting, pretty much [like] the real Marines," Zach reported. "Pretty soon you get used to it. If you can't get it right, you do whatever you do until everybody gets it right, at least a couple of times."

The cost of the boot camp was $175, which included Zach's uniform, belt, boots, canteen and patches, Vicki Sorrentino said. After that, the annual fee is $15.

Sporting a crew cut and dressed in fatigues and shiny black duty boots, Zach cuts an impressive figure for an elementary school kid. He says the program has helped improve his grades and taught him to be respectful.

"Yeah, that's what you're mostly there for," he said. "It's pretty much a discipline group, so you can learn right from wrong, do what you're told when you're told. You learn a lot. You learn about the history of everything. You learn a lot about the world and also how to behave in it."

Although Dittrich cautioned that the program is not a substitute for good parenting, parents are asked to provide regular progress reports about what is happening on the home front.

"Even if you do have small issues at home, they want to know about it because then they can try to correct it down there by talking to the kids," Vicki Sorrentino said. "Sometimes kids won't listen to a parent, and you need a different authority figure."

For more information on the Westover Young Marines unit, call (413) 525-0924, or visit www.youngmarines.com

The Drifter's Wife

Ellie

[fallafel]

oorah Young Marines

ym vet right here :D