thedrifter
08-12-06, 06:45 AM
Local youth successfully complete Devil Pups encampment
By David Saint-Amand
Description: Youth get a taste of military life at Camp Pendleton.
Saturday, July 29th, Camp Pendleton, California. Ten local-area young men, and two young women marched smartly across the parade ground at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Southern California. They graduated along side three hundred other young men and women of the Devil Pup Company, First Encampment. After ten days under the watchful eyes of Marine Corps drill instructors, all unpaid volunteer camp staff, the Devil Pups were tired, but marched with a pride and precision that most couldn’t imagine they had inside them. Their adventure began on the 20th with a 4:00 AM departure for Camp Pendleton in a van donated by Enterprise Rent-A-Car of Ridgecrest. Upon their arrival they began to experience a small taste of Marine Corps recruit training: a Marine Corps hair cut, identical clothing, miles of marching, and lots of push-ups. It wasn’t just exercise though. They also observed Marine Corps training activities and participated in events that emphasized physical fitness, teamwork, and personal responsibility. By the time they graduated, each had accomplished far more than they could have imagined, and left camp with a feeling of confidence, self-esteem, and an “I can” attitude.
This year’s Devil Pups graduates are: Daniel Bracken from Mount Mesa, Jake Ruschmann from Tehachapi, Deven Canez, Travis Carrasco, Travis Collins, Brennan Foust, Matt Hall, Emily Hill, Cody Meyers, Amber Rice, Jacob Weisbrich, and Derrick Williams from the Indian Wells Valley. Mr. Collins placed in the top ten ranking in physical fitness from out of nearly thee hundred Devil Pups.
The Devil Pups program coordinator for the local area, Lori Casperson, extends a special thank you to Enterprise Rent-A-Car for their generous donation of a van, and to the Ridgecrest chapter of the Knights of Columbus for the use of their meeting facilities for a local award ceremony. Their help is very much appreciated.
The idea for Devil Pups grew out of an incident in 1953, where a group of teenagers at a Southern California High School burned an American flag. A retired Marine, Colonel Duncan Shaw, Sr., decided that something had to be done about building the character of America’s youth. He went to the Commandant of the Marine Corps with an idea for a program to build healthier, more successful young citizens out of teenage boys. The Commandant agreed and a charitable foundation was formed to provide this unique opportunity, and to cover the costs that the United States Government is not permitted to pay. They selected the name “Devil Pups,” a play on the nickname “Devil Dogs” that German troops gave the United States Marines opposing them in battle in World War I, and the first encampment was held in 1954. Devil Pups has grown since then: expanding to include a platoon for young women in 1998. With two encampments a summer, over 45,000 young men and women have graduated from the program.
Devil Pups is not a recruiting program. Any healthy boy or girl that resides in the states of California, Arizona and Nevada, and are between the ages of 14 and 17, is eligible to apply for the program. For more information, please visit the Devil Pups Web site at: http://www.devilpups.com.
Ellie
By David Saint-Amand
Description: Youth get a taste of military life at Camp Pendleton.
Saturday, July 29th, Camp Pendleton, California. Ten local-area young men, and two young women marched smartly across the parade ground at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Southern California. They graduated along side three hundred other young men and women of the Devil Pup Company, First Encampment. After ten days under the watchful eyes of Marine Corps drill instructors, all unpaid volunteer camp staff, the Devil Pups were tired, but marched with a pride and precision that most couldn’t imagine they had inside them. Their adventure began on the 20th with a 4:00 AM departure for Camp Pendleton in a van donated by Enterprise Rent-A-Car of Ridgecrest. Upon their arrival they began to experience a small taste of Marine Corps recruit training: a Marine Corps hair cut, identical clothing, miles of marching, and lots of push-ups. It wasn’t just exercise though. They also observed Marine Corps training activities and participated in events that emphasized physical fitness, teamwork, and personal responsibility. By the time they graduated, each had accomplished far more than they could have imagined, and left camp with a feeling of confidence, self-esteem, and an “I can” attitude.
This year’s Devil Pups graduates are: Daniel Bracken from Mount Mesa, Jake Ruschmann from Tehachapi, Deven Canez, Travis Carrasco, Travis Collins, Brennan Foust, Matt Hall, Emily Hill, Cody Meyers, Amber Rice, Jacob Weisbrich, and Derrick Williams from the Indian Wells Valley. Mr. Collins placed in the top ten ranking in physical fitness from out of nearly thee hundred Devil Pups.
The Devil Pups program coordinator for the local area, Lori Casperson, extends a special thank you to Enterprise Rent-A-Car for their generous donation of a van, and to the Ridgecrest chapter of the Knights of Columbus for the use of their meeting facilities for a local award ceremony. Their help is very much appreciated.
The idea for Devil Pups grew out of an incident in 1953, where a group of teenagers at a Southern California High School burned an American flag. A retired Marine, Colonel Duncan Shaw, Sr., decided that something had to be done about building the character of America’s youth. He went to the Commandant of the Marine Corps with an idea for a program to build healthier, more successful young citizens out of teenage boys. The Commandant agreed and a charitable foundation was formed to provide this unique opportunity, and to cover the costs that the United States Government is not permitted to pay. They selected the name “Devil Pups,” a play on the nickname “Devil Dogs” that German troops gave the United States Marines opposing them in battle in World War I, and the first encampment was held in 1954. Devil Pups has grown since then: expanding to include a platoon for young women in 1998. With two encampments a summer, over 45,000 young men and women have graduated from the program.
Devil Pups is not a recruiting program. Any healthy boy or girl that resides in the states of California, Arizona and Nevada, and are between the ages of 14 and 17, is eligible to apply for the program. For more information, please visit the Devil Pups Web site at: http://www.devilpups.com.
Ellie