thedrifter
04-20-06, 08:02 AM
Thursday, April 20, 2006; Posted: 11:15 a.m. EDT
Commissioner, educator visit Parris Island
BY LIZ VERNON | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER
They may not be in the U.S. Marine Corps, but a few local citizens recently got to experience a few days in the life of a new recruit.
Bob Proud, Clermont County commissioner; Zach Ison, physical education teacher at Clermont Northeastern Middle School and wrestling coach at Batavia High School, and Jim Himebaugh, a science teacher at Anderson High School, visited Parris Island, S.C., April 4 through April 7 to see -- and, in some cases, experience -- the recruits' training.
The trip was part of the Marine Corps Educators Workshop, which provides educators with a chance to see the training.
"What their goal is, is to bring in educators ... and let them see how Marines are made," said Ison. "It's a complete educational process."
Ison said he found out about it through a friend. "A friend of mine went on it and went on and on about how great it was."
Ison also was interested thanks to his father, who went to Parris Island in 1955 and served as a Marine reservist for three years. "I'd heard stories about it from him and then I got to see it."
Family was also a reason why Himebaugh, too, went to Parris Island.
His son, a senior at Anderson, will graduate this spring and begin training at Parris Island later this year.
"During the course of him filling out his paperwork, the recruiter noticed I was an educator and he invited me," Himebaugh said. "It was a very interesting experience."
Proud, who found out about the workshop from a Marine who lives in Batavia, called the trip "the time of my life."
"It was awesome," he said.
The three, along with the rest of the group in the workshop, got to meet staff members and speak with the recruits. They also were treated like new recruits, participating in several different training activities, such as the rifle range, the Marine Corps martial arts and a confidence course (similar to an obstacle course).
They also were shown how to stand at attention and how to march.
"We were terrible," said Ison.
And, they got to see a graduation ceremony. Because the recruits are at different stages in training, graduations are held almost every week.
"We did bits and pieces of what the recruits do, and we saw bits and pieces of what the recruits do," Ison said. "I was so in awe of the whole thing."
"It gave us just a small idea of what those recruits go through, but we were able to see firsthand their training," said Proud.
They also heard one of the colonels speak about the training, Ison said. "He gave us an overview of how they make a person into a Marine. He was a very dynamic speaker."
And, talking with the recruits -- especially two from Clermont County -- really had an impact.
One of the local recruits, Michael Dunn, a Glen Este High School graduate, even recognized Ison.
"He said, 'I know who you are. I wrestled your son,'" Ison said. "It was a pretty moving moment. I got the realization that that could've been my son sitting across from me. It just goes to show it's a small world."
"We could ... ask them anything we wanted," said Himebaugh. "They were just very candid, very honest."
When they talked to two Clermont County recruits, Dunn and Ben Curry of New Richmond, "their experience was very positive. They were very enthusiastic and they were very confident that they'd made the right decision," he said.
"To me, (meeting Dunn and Curry) was the highlight of the whole trip," said Proud.
And, all three had good things to say about their visit.
"It's just an experience that a lot of educators should take advantage of," Himebaugh said.
"I've always had a deep appreciation for the Marines, and now I have an even deeper appreciation for them," said Proud. "I truly had the time of my life."
"It was a great trip," said Ison. "It was truly a unique experience. I'd recommend it to anybody."
"It's a really unique thing to watch how they bring them in, break them down, build them back up," he said. "It's all a building process to build them into a United States Marine."
"They really represent the country well," he said. "I'm just happy there are people out there like that, representing us."
lvernon@communitypress.com
248-7683
Ellie
Commissioner, educator visit Parris Island
BY LIZ VERNON | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER
They may not be in the U.S. Marine Corps, but a few local citizens recently got to experience a few days in the life of a new recruit.
Bob Proud, Clermont County commissioner; Zach Ison, physical education teacher at Clermont Northeastern Middle School and wrestling coach at Batavia High School, and Jim Himebaugh, a science teacher at Anderson High School, visited Parris Island, S.C., April 4 through April 7 to see -- and, in some cases, experience -- the recruits' training.
The trip was part of the Marine Corps Educators Workshop, which provides educators with a chance to see the training.
"What their goal is, is to bring in educators ... and let them see how Marines are made," said Ison. "It's a complete educational process."
Ison said he found out about it through a friend. "A friend of mine went on it and went on and on about how great it was."
Ison also was interested thanks to his father, who went to Parris Island in 1955 and served as a Marine reservist for three years. "I'd heard stories about it from him and then I got to see it."
Family was also a reason why Himebaugh, too, went to Parris Island.
His son, a senior at Anderson, will graduate this spring and begin training at Parris Island later this year.
"During the course of him filling out his paperwork, the recruiter noticed I was an educator and he invited me," Himebaugh said. "It was a very interesting experience."
Proud, who found out about the workshop from a Marine who lives in Batavia, called the trip "the time of my life."
"It was awesome," he said.
The three, along with the rest of the group in the workshop, got to meet staff members and speak with the recruits. They also were treated like new recruits, participating in several different training activities, such as the rifle range, the Marine Corps martial arts and a confidence course (similar to an obstacle course).
They also were shown how to stand at attention and how to march.
"We were terrible," said Ison.
And, they got to see a graduation ceremony. Because the recruits are at different stages in training, graduations are held almost every week.
"We did bits and pieces of what the recruits do, and we saw bits and pieces of what the recruits do," Ison said. "I was so in awe of the whole thing."
"It gave us just a small idea of what those recruits go through, but we were able to see firsthand their training," said Proud.
They also heard one of the colonels speak about the training, Ison said. "He gave us an overview of how they make a person into a Marine. He was a very dynamic speaker."
And, talking with the recruits -- especially two from Clermont County -- really had an impact.
One of the local recruits, Michael Dunn, a Glen Este High School graduate, even recognized Ison.
"He said, 'I know who you are. I wrestled your son,'" Ison said. "It was a pretty moving moment. I got the realization that that could've been my son sitting across from me. It just goes to show it's a small world."
"We could ... ask them anything we wanted," said Himebaugh. "They were just very candid, very honest."
When they talked to two Clermont County recruits, Dunn and Ben Curry of New Richmond, "their experience was very positive. They were very enthusiastic and they were very confident that they'd made the right decision," he said.
"To me, (meeting Dunn and Curry) was the highlight of the whole trip," said Proud.
And, all three had good things to say about their visit.
"It's just an experience that a lot of educators should take advantage of," Himebaugh said.
"I've always had a deep appreciation for the Marines, and now I have an even deeper appreciation for them," said Proud. "I truly had the time of my life."
"It was a great trip," said Ison. "It was truly a unique experience. I'd recommend it to anybody."
"It's a really unique thing to watch how they bring them in, break them down, build them back up," he said. "It's all a building process to build them into a United States Marine."
"They really represent the country well," he said. "I'm just happy there are people out there like that, representing us."
lvernon@communitypress.com
248-7683
Ellie