MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Devil Pups Inc., a non-profit organization, gives high school students, from all over the country, an opportunity to see how Marines train. It challenges youth with an authentic Marine Corps experience.
Ten-day encampments take place here, the first of which starts July 20. Camp Pendleton has hosted the Devil Pups program every year since 1954 as a community benefit project that aids the character development of teenage boys and girls, enabling them to become healthier and more successful young citizens.
“What we’re trying to do is give these kids a positive experience and develop good citizens,” said Jerry A. Blandford, operations officer for Marine Corps Base Operations and Training. Blandford, a retired Marine Master Sergeant, coordinates logistical support for the Devil Pups program.
The program coordinators are seeking volunteers — preferably retired, reserve or active-duty Marines and Sailors — to serve as instructors or “escorts” for two Devil Pups encampments this summer.
The volunteer escorts should be mature and will able to work with teenagers. All will receive a 12-day orientation course prior to the encampment, said Blandford.
“Every Marine or Sailor who participates as a volunteer to assist the Devil Pups comes out a better Marine or Sailor,” said Blandford. “The volunteers don’t know what to expect when they get there, but by the end, they feel like they’ve made a difference.”
Volunteering as a Devil Pup escort can also improve a Marine’s or Sailor’s leadership skills.
“We mostly get sergeants and corporals (as escorts),” said retired Marine Col. Ray Blum, encampment commander for Camp Pendleton’s Devil Pups program. “These Marines get troop-leading experience they don’t get in their units.”
Under the escorts’ supervision, the Devil Pups learn drill movements, visit the base swim tank, run obstacle courses and tour the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.
They also receive Marine Corps history classes, listen to motivating speakers and participate in character-building activities, said Blandford.
“Many Devil Pups end up coming into the service,” he added. “It’s an excellent recruiting tool for the Marine Corps.”
In the days following their return from MCRD, the Devil Pups taste Meals, Ready-to-Eat for the first time and begin preparation for their culminating event, a hike to the summit of “Old Smokey.”
“We get them in the best shape of their lives,” said Blum, who has been involved with the program for 31 years.
“(The escorts) put the kids through an intense 10 days, but for every Devil Pup, it’s a life changing experience.” said Blandford.
Anyone interested in volunteering to assist Devil Pups for the 2006 encampment should contact Master Gunnery Sgt. Malcolm Gardner at malcolm.gardner@usmc.mil.
For more information, call (760) 763-2568.