thedrifter
11-25-05, 12:15 PM
Commentary by JOHN MINTON:
Marines have no interest in lying to anyone
By JOHN MINTON-Special to the DN
I want to thank Mr. Finnigan for asking those questions about the Young Marine program that we are trying to establish at Red Bluff High School. We encourage questions. But at the end of his letter he seemed to be calling us liars. This Marine and the other adult volunteers (we're still Marines, but no longer on active duty or in the Reserve) have no interest in lying to anyone. It serves no purpose to do so. We do not support anyone who does. It's a bad example to young people and to all others.
Mr. Finnigan said he checked us out or asked questions and got his answers from some source. Who was it that you spoke to, sir?
The fact will always be that some kids will grow up and choose to enlist in the military. They will go to their high school career centers and find out what is available to them and what their options are once they graduate. And another fact is that there will always be people who question what some people do in life, especially when youngsters are involved. We believe that these questions are good ones. We encourage questions.
The Young Marines was started in Waterbury, Conn., in 1958 by a few Marines who served in WW II and Korea and they saw that a lot of young people (yes, even back then) were getting into trouble and needed outlets and activities and these Marines, who very proudly served their country, wanted to give back to America some ideals they had learned while serving. Those ideals are Honor, Courage, and Commitment to name only a few. Where are these ideals today?
The three main goals of the Young Marine program are to: (1) keep young people away from drugs and alcohol (and hopefully tobacco); (2) to encourage them to attend and graduate from high school; and (3) to get involved in their respective communities. Improving on their current level of physical fitness is going to have a positive impact on them as well. The program also allows kids who suffer from asthma, diabetes, and other conditions to join.
We will make reasonable accommodations for them. They won't be going into the military, but they will need to move on in life and we hope that what all of these youngsters learn from the program is to be independent, law-abiding, responsible citizens.
We are holding our "Boot Camp" in the Career Center and at the facilities at Red Bluff High School simply because there are a number of careers that they may want to pursue. Many will not enlist in the military.
But we do hope that they take the structure from the program into whatever career path they may choose. It'll be their choice, not ours. Also, when we contacted the high school they were quite happy to assist us because they believe in kids and want to be a part of whatever good things happen to them, like graduating from high school and living a drug and alcohol free lifestyle.
Like many non-profits, the Young Marines can not succeed without its volunteers. That's right. We do not receive a paycheck (other than the one that we get by knowing that our selfless dedication will have a positive effect on many of these wonderful young people). We were teens once and we decided to enlist. Many of us enlisted during Vietnam or Desert Storm and other conflicts or wars. We all had different reasons for enlisting, but we learned that it was a worthwhile decision because we learned about patriotism, teamwork, and responsibility - other virtues that seem absent these days.
The Young Marines is a program that "does not serve as a recruiting tool for the military." But it does serve as a tool to help guide many youngsters to learn more about what they are capable of in terms of their own special abilities that each of them possess. We do not teach individual tactical measures. But we do teach close order drill - a team building tool. We teach United States history and the history of our flag. Yes, this also includes military history. But we don't emphasize the glory of killing other human beings because it is not a glory to do so.
We may ask the recruiters from the Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force for some assistance in providing a video or maybe a pull-up bar or climbing wall. We may go and take part in or observe a graduation ceremony at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. We may attend a summer encampment at Big Bear in San Bernardino. All youngsters like field trips.
I want to invite Mr. Finnigan and anyone else to the Career Center, room 403, across from the main office at the high school, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, to watch our 18-minute video from the national office in Washington, D.C., and if there are any questions we certainly will attempt to answer them as best we can. The Young Marines have a national Web site www.youngmarines.com. We strongly encourage Mr. Finnigan and any others who are concerned to look over what the program is about.
One last item of interest: All of us who are Registered Adults have undergone a background check conducted by the national office in Washington, D. C. We are dealing with our community's young people and abuse of any kind is not tolerated. We don't believe foul language or name-calling and put-downs are appropriate, especially with youngsters who want and need building up and not tearing down.
I hope I have stated all of this in terms that are easily understood and that what I have stated herein is not offensive in any way. Mr. Finnigan, please come and meet us and ask questions of us in person.
John Minton is commanding officer of the Tehama County Young Marines.
Ellie
Marines have no interest in lying to anyone
By JOHN MINTON-Special to the DN
I want to thank Mr. Finnigan for asking those questions about the Young Marine program that we are trying to establish at Red Bluff High School. We encourage questions. But at the end of his letter he seemed to be calling us liars. This Marine and the other adult volunteers (we're still Marines, but no longer on active duty or in the Reserve) have no interest in lying to anyone. It serves no purpose to do so. We do not support anyone who does. It's a bad example to young people and to all others.
Mr. Finnigan said he checked us out or asked questions and got his answers from some source. Who was it that you spoke to, sir?
The fact will always be that some kids will grow up and choose to enlist in the military. They will go to their high school career centers and find out what is available to them and what their options are once they graduate. And another fact is that there will always be people who question what some people do in life, especially when youngsters are involved. We believe that these questions are good ones. We encourage questions.
The Young Marines was started in Waterbury, Conn., in 1958 by a few Marines who served in WW II and Korea and they saw that a lot of young people (yes, even back then) were getting into trouble and needed outlets and activities and these Marines, who very proudly served their country, wanted to give back to America some ideals they had learned while serving. Those ideals are Honor, Courage, and Commitment to name only a few. Where are these ideals today?
The three main goals of the Young Marine program are to: (1) keep young people away from drugs and alcohol (and hopefully tobacco); (2) to encourage them to attend and graduate from high school; and (3) to get involved in their respective communities. Improving on their current level of physical fitness is going to have a positive impact on them as well. The program also allows kids who suffer from asthma, diabetes, and other conditions to join.
We will make reasonable accommodations for them. They won't be going into the military, but they will need to move on in life and we hope that what all of these youngsters learn from the program is to be independent, law-abiding, responsible citizens.
We are holding our "Boot Camp" in the Career Center and at the facilities at Red Bluff High School simply because there are a number of careers that they may want to pursue. Many will not enlist in the military.
But we do hope that they take the structure from the program into whatever career path they may choose. It'll be their choice, not ours. Also, when we contacted the high school they were quite happy to assist us because they believe in kids and want to be a part of whatever good things happen to them, like graduating from high school and living a drug and alcohol free lifestyle.
Like many non-profits, the Young Marines can not succeed without its volunteers. That's right. We do not receive a paycheck (other than the one that we get by knowing that our selfless dedication will have a positive effect on many of these wonderful young people). We were teens once and we decided to enlist. Many of us enlisted during Vietnam or Desert Storm and other conflicts or wars. We all had different reasons for enlisting, but we learned that it was a worthwhile decision because we learned about patriotism, teamwork, and responsibility - other virtues that seem absent these days.
The Young Marines is a program that "does not serve as a recruiting tool for the military." But it does serve as a tool to help guide many youngsters to learn more about what they are capable of in terms of their own special abilities that each of them possess. We do not teach individual tactical measures. But we do teach close order drill - a team building tool. We teach United States history and the history of our flag. Yes, this also includes military history. But we don't emphasize the glory of killing other human beings because it is not a glory to do so.
We may ask the recruiters from the Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force for some assistance in providing a video or maybe a pull-up bar or climbing wall. We may go and take part in or observe a graduation ceremony at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. We may attend a summer encampment at Big Bear in San Bernardino. All youngsters like field trips.
I want to invite Mr. Finnigan and anyone else to the Career Center, room 403, across from the main office at the high school, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, to watch our 18-minute video from the national office in Washington, D.C., and if there are any questions we certainly will attempt to answer them as best we can. The Young Marines have a national Web site www.youngmarines.com. We strongly encourage Mr. Finnigan and any others who are concerned to look over what the program is about.
One last item of interest: All of us who are Registered Adults have undergone a background check conducted by the national office in Washington, D. C. We are dealing with our community's young people and abuse of any kind is not tolerated. We don't believe foul language or name-calling and put-downs are appropriate, especially with youngsters who want and need building up and not tearing down.
I hope I have stated all of this in terms that are easily understood and that what I have stated herein is not offensive in any way. Mr. Finnigan, please come and meet us and ask questions of us in person.
John Minton is commanding officer of the Tehama County Young Marines.
Ellie