thedrifter
07-11-07, 05:52 AM
Children from Goldsboro, N.C., experienced a day as U.S. Marines during the “Life of a Marine” event hosted by Motor Pool Platoon, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, here June 28.
The Deeper Life Church of Christ brought their young men here to participate in several events to receive mentorship and gain a better understanding about Marine Corps life.
“Basically, we’re trying to motivate the young men to stay out of the streets, but we also use this as a recruiting tool,” said Staff Sgt. Timothy Hill, the motor pool chief with the platoon. “I think if something like this was going on when I was growing up, it would have kept me out of trouble.”
Hill said this monthly event benefits Marines returning from deployment by helping them transition back into life on the home front.
“(This event) helps the communities around us know we’re not just (warfighters) and people that go off to war,” said Hill. “We have Marines teaching these young men how to be men. It’s our way of giving back to the community.”
The battalion kicked off the day with an activity routine to Marines abroad.
“We started the young men out with a little (physical training), getting them used to seeing some of the things Marines use to stay in shape,” Hill said.
After breaking a little sweat, the young men got their first taste of Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs, as the host Marines showed them how to open the packages and prepare meals, just like being in the field.
“After they ate, we took them down to the ramps to see the (assault amphibian vehicles), seven-ton trucks and some of the weapons mounted to them,” Hill said.
The young men experienced more than a close-up look of these monstrous machines. After a lesson and safety brief, they strapped on flak jackets and helmets and took a ride through the muddy, wooded trails in the AAVs.
The demonstration ride took them around a land trail, but the group also got to see the capabilities of the tracked vehicles when they made their way into the water. Some of the boys made remarks about the AAV’s adaptation to land and water being similar to an alligator, just like the battalion’s mascot.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Tynisha Hill, a member of the church group, accompanied the boys during the trip and said the ride back to Goldsboro was nothing but restless conversation about how cool the Marines are.
“The whole way back, all they could talk about was how awesome the trip was,” said Hill. “The PT session was ‘off the chain,’ but I had to keep up with the Marines and represent for the Air Force.”
Hill said the focus of the event provided mentorship and positivity to these young men, who come from many walks of life, not just the inner-city.
She also mentioned a reaction from one child in particular, who gained an undeniable newfound respect for Marines.
“One of our members asked on the way back how old you have to be to join the Marines,” she said. “We told him eighteen and he said, ‘Well look out, because in five years I’m gonna be a Marine.’”
The Deeper Life Church of Christ brought their young men here to participate in several events to receive mentorship and gain a better understanding about Marine Corps life.
“Basically, we’re trying to motivate the young men to stay out of the streets, but we also use this as a recruiting tool,” said Staff Sgt. Timothy Hill, the motor pool chief with the platoon. “I think if something like this was going on when I was growing up, it would have kept me out of trouble.”
Hill said this monthly event benefits Marines returning from deployment by helping them transition back into life on the home front.
“(This event) helps the communities around us know we’re not just (warfighters) and people that go off to war,” said Hill. “We have Marines teaching these young men how to be men. It’s our way of giving back to the community.”
The battalion kicked off the day with an activity routine to Marines abroad.
“We started the young men out with a little (physical training), getting them used to seeing some of the things Marines use to stay in shape,” Hill said.
After breaking a little sweat, the young men got their first taste of Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs, as the host Marines showed them how to open the packages and prepare meals, just like being in the field.
“After they ate, we took them down to the ramps to see the (assault amphibian vehicles), seven-ton trucks and some of the weapons mounted to them,” Hill said.
The young men experienced more than a close-up look of these monstrous machines. After a lesson and safety brief, they strapped on flak jackets and helmets and took a ride through the muddy, wooded trails in the AAVs.
The demonstration ride took them around a land trail, but the group also got to see the capabilities of the tracked vehicles when they made their way into the water. Some of the boys made remarks about the AAV’s adaptation to land and water being similar to an alligator, just like the battalion’s mascot.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Tynisha Hill, a member of the church group, accompanied the boys during the trip and said the ride back to Goldsboro was nothing but restless conversation about how cool the Marines are.
“The whole way back, all they could talk about was how awesome the trip was,” said Hill. “The PT session was ‘off the chain,’ but I had to keep up with the Marines and represent for the Air Force.”
Hill said the focus of the event provided mentorship and positivity to these young men, who come from many walks of life, not just the inner-city.
She also mentioned a reaction from one child in particular, who gained an undeniable newfound respect for Marines.
“One of our members asked on the way back how old you have to be to join the Marines,” she said. “We told him eighteen and he said, ‘Well look out, because in five years I’m gonna be a Marine.’”