MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- More than 50 Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from Chaparral, Great Oak and Temecula Valley High Schools forfeited some of their spring break to experience a taste of Marine Corps recruit training at Camp Pendleton’s Edson Range, March 28-30.
The event was a special three day affair that some called a mini boot camp. Some activities included a critical thinking and leadership course, indoor simulated marksmanship training and the confidence course, all designed to challenge participants physically and mentally while building teamwork and esprit de corps.
“The JROTC program is designed to build better citizens for America,” said Capt. James R. Poole, senior aerospace science instructor at Great Oaks High School, Temecula, Calif. “We instill leadership, structure and community service with a military flavor. JROTC students tend to excel in whatever they do, even after just four years in the program,” he said.
The cadets also learned some basic techniques from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program that every Marine must become proficient at in order to graduate recruit training.
“My goal with today’s class is to promote MCMAP and show the other side of the Marine Corps that most don’t see,” said Sgt. Ernesto A. Orantes, MCMAP instructor trainer, Weapons and Field Training Battalion. “MCMAP will add to their physical fitness and boost their confidence,” said Orantes.
Overall, the students learned leadership, teamwork, motivation and discipline, said Poole. Hopefully the students have learned that with the right determination, they will be able to overcome any obstacle, making them more effective citizens in society.