Courtesy Photo | Members of the American Cadet Alliance, who come from all over the United States,...... read more read more
By Amy May
Crier Staff Writer
Camp Atterbury Public Affairs
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - The American Cadet Alliance can give kids a taste of what military life is like. They attend annual training, learn leadership skills, sleep in barracks and adhere to challenging physical fitness standards.
The ACA's goal is not to groom future recruits, however. The all-volunteer leadership simply uses the military regimen to create better people.
"The object is not to make Soldiers out of these young men and women. We're simply trying to instill in them a moral and ethical standard," said Command Sgt. Maj. Ray Schnabel.
"About 40 percent of them go into the military at 18, but if they don't, that's fine too."
They still gain experience, leadership skills, problem solving ability and self-discipline. The ACA also looks good on a college application if that's the direction the cadet chooses.
The ACA is a national program for boys and girls ages 12 to 18.
Founded on April 10, 1909, as Colonel Cody's Boy Scouts, it is the oldest military cadet organization in continuous existence in the United States and was also the first to accept female cadets. Today, there are approximately 1,200 cadets in the program.
The training schedule is similar to the National Guard's, with one weekend a month and three weeks in the summer. There are companies in each state and the training has always been done at nearby military training camps or armories. In July, 120 recruits trained at Camp Atterbury.
Some of the courses the teens studied at Atterbury include: The Leadership Reaction Course, The Confidence Course, The Conditioning Course, Combat Water Survival and Physical fitness testing.
The Leadership Reaction Course tests recruits' and cadets' ability to navigate through challenging obstacles using creative thought and teamwork. No task can be completed alone or even as a pair. The entire group must work together to defeat each barrier.
The Confidence Course requires recruits and cadets scale heights that go beyond their comfort zones, and negotiate obstacles that are intended to push the limits physically and mentally.
The Conditioning Course consists of multiple stations designed to increase stamina, strength and conditioning. There are a series of obstacles ranging from a hurdle jump, a tunnel crawl, monkey bars, wall climb, rope climb and many others. After an initial run-through, recruits and cadets navigate the course in its entirety, jogging between stations.
Combat Water Survival is a simulated combat scenario to provide instruction on life-saving techniques designed to help a distressed individual survive if submerged in water while wearing full combat gear. Because this takes place in a controlled environment, the training is designed to remove the panic associated with an abrupt or emergency water entry. With this skill, individuals can anticipate the shock associated with CWS.
Physical fitness testing boosts morale, energy and confidence, and helps individuals sustain a drug-free life-style. Recruits and cadets exercise daily and are tested on their progression weekly in push-ups, curl-ups, vertical sit and reach and running.
The teens also learn military customs and courtesies, marching, protocol and other necessary skills. They may learn weapons care and handling with a simulated weapon. There is some classroom work, but the leaders like to make the majority of the lessons hands-on, fun and outdoors.
Interested teens must apply to the program. They are interviewed, Schnabel said, to make sure the student is truly interested and not just being pushed into the program by parents.
"These kids go through a very tough basic training," Schnabel said. "We make sure they are physically and mentally ready to do it."
New members are called recruits until they pass basic training, when they become cadets. Second year cadets begin to learn and practice leadership skills. Cadets who have been in three years can become "troop handlers" and have an NCO rank. They guide the new recruits.
Members say one of the biggest benefits of ACA is the change they see in themselves.
Cadet 1st Sgt. Jesse Urban of New Jersey has been involved four years.
"It changes how you are in the civilian world," he said. "It changed my way of acting in school. I show respect for other people. It opened my eyes a little."
Urban, 16, hopes to get a law degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania before pursuing a commission in the Marine Corps. After the military, he is interested in working in federal law enforcement.
Officer Candidate Philip Loyd, of Rochester, N.Y., said access to opportunities is important, especially in areas where drugs and gangs are prevalent.
"Most homes where I'm from are single-parent homes. Most kids get their information from each other or media," he said. "This gives kids an alternative to the street life. Many parents don't have money to send their kids to opportunities. If I'd had something like this when I was growing up, it could have saved myself and family a lot of grief," Loyd said.
Loyd, 29, served in the Marines and joined ACA as an adult leader, a member of the cadre.
He remembers when he was younger, he was "quick to fly off the handle." He had to learn discipline and self-control in the Marines. He sees young people gaining those same conflict resolution skills in ACA at a younger age.
"They learn to deal with problems of life, to adapt and overcome," Schnabel added. "Instead of going to their peers, they can come to the cadre. They get the confidence they need."
ACA's association with the military has some advantages for the cadets. At Atterbury, for example, the teens got to see some real military training and talk to Soldiers who have been deployed. They were planning a Black Hawk ride, as well.
Schnabel said the staff at Atterbury has been interested in the cadets, as well.
"We've had Soldiers come up at the mess hall and ask about what they are doing; they were interested for their own kids," he said.
Other Soldiers expressed interest in volunteering as members of the cadre, he added.
Schnabel, who retired in 2001 after 32 years in the Army and Air Force, said the volunteering experience is very rewarding.
"I've always like working with children. Working with young men and women is just a good way of making sure the future is in good hands. Mentoring children is everyone's responsibility. This is my way of doing it," he said.
The ACA cadets last training at Atterbury was five years ago. The group will soon have a place of its own to conduct training and meetings. The ACA national headquarters will soon open in Dayton, Pa., in an old high school. Loyd said there is plenty of land to conduct training and accommodate the students for annual training. The building will also serve as the ACA's administration site.
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 08.01.2007 13:02 |
| Story ID: | 11575 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 510 |
| Downloads: | 106 |
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