The week of February 7th through the 11th, 48 educators from across the Western United States participated in a Marine Corps Training Workshop. Among them, our own Sophomore English and Journalism teacher, Ms. Lange – she was able to learn gun skills, training operations, Marine experiences, and some armed forces history.

Ms. Lange tells about her participation in the Marine Corps Educators Workshop: “The experience was amazing! From the first morning, a drill instructor met us at United States Marine Depot (USMD) giving us a mini Marine recruit experience. We had to learn how to stand properly and shout, “Yes sir! No Sir! Aye Aye Sir!” We got a snippet of the terror young people feel upon their first arrival.” She really had a fun and educational time. The reason for their participation in the workshop was to educate themselves about the Marine experience and to get their students interested in possibly becoming future Marine recruits. “From there we did some really cool things! We got martial arts training, combat fitness tests, training on how to shoot an M-16 and we were actually able to go to the range to shoot live rounds…that might have been the best part.” She really got to take a whole week off teaching to have fun… However! Her explanation of how things went and all she learned about the Marines have already influenced some students to consider that as part of their career and life plans and goals.

As she explains more about the experience, she states, “I got to repel from 60 feet. We got a taste of the leadership skills that they get at the Crucible when the recruits spend 56 hours on a final test before they become full-fledged Marines. The really cool thing was how accessible everyone was, we had the opportunity to ask every single question we wanted from Marines that have been there for 3 years to lifetime Marines. We were treated to a Marine Corp band performance and got to ask them a bunch of questions.”

Ms. Lange explains more about the significance of her experience, “My partner of 9 years is a Marine who served in Desert Storm and I know many Marines, but this experience gave me a new found appreciation, admiration, and respect for this elite branch of the military. I saw firsthand the leadership skills, confidence, camaraderie, educational value, and opportunities that being a Marine affords to both young men and women.”

The Marine Corps does not accept just anyone, they only take on young people who are physically fit, have moral integrity, and are mentally stable. It is not an easy task being accepted to the Marine Corps. If you are interested in a future with the Marines, you can talk to Ms. Lange or go to the official US Marine’s website marines.com.