Republicans, Anaheim Teens Share Look at History, Power : Youths: Young political activists join members of a gang-prevention program on a tour of the battleship Missouri.

Jose Barajas usually spends his Saturdays watching television, but yesterday he and about 20 other youths in an Anaheim gang-prevention program did something far different.

They toured the historic battleship Missouri with the Orange County Young Republicans.

Like most of the other youths, Barajas was favorably impressed by the massive gray battlewagon. “At first I thought it was going to be a little boat,” said Barajas, 12. “But it’s a big boat.”

About 20 Young Republicans joined the tour of the 58,000-ton ship and treated participants in Anaheim’s Project Save-a-Youth--a gang-, drug- and crime-prevention program--to lunch afterward.

For the boys and girls, it was a chance to see something few ever dreamed of. For the Young Republicans, it was a chance to do a good deed.

“We try to do things with kids because our age group can relate to them, and also we want our group members to know what’s going on with the next generation,” said Karen Torrance, political chairman for the Republican club.

Lt. Richard Henderson, a Young Republican who was once stationed on the battleship and now serves in the Civil Engineer Corps, prepared the youths with a brief history lesson in the parking lot.

The Missouri was the site of the Japanese surrender in 1945 in Tokyo Bay, participated in the Korean War in the 1950s and was returned to service in 1986 after being mothballed as a museum for 30 years, Henderson said.

“It is a fully operational ship now,” Henderson said. “But we can’t shoot off the guns today.”

“Too bad,” joked Young Republican Jim Wade. “There might be a boat full of Democrats out there.”

After warnings not to push any buttons or stray from the group, the youths got an up-close look at the 16-inch guns that served as the backdrop for Cher’s music video, “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

Dividing into three smaller groups, they trooped through a labyrinth of narrow tunnels and up and down steep ladders.

They peeked into the berthing rooms where sailors sleep on narrow triple-decker beds, peered through binoculars, pressed their noses against windows and sat in the captain’s chair.

The Missouri has a crew of 1,400, about 1,000 of whom live full time on the ship, Henderson said. Boatswain’s Mate Leon Bruton, who led one of the groups in his Navy whites and shiny black shoes, told the youths what life on the ship is really like.

“The longest I’ve been at sea is 110 days,” Bruton said. “It’s rough because you only get two beers. The going price for beer when you’re at sea is high. I saw one go for $55.”

The tour produced favorable reviews from the youths.

Gerardo Seguera, 16, said he wants to be a Marine when he graduates from high school and appreciated the chance to see his role models at work on the ship--particularly one who walked by on a deck above the group with a gun cradled in his arms.

“I like it. It’s pretty bad,” said Eduardo Terriquez, 15. “I’ve never been on one of these before. I didn’t think they were going to let us go see the guns.”

Indeed, the ship’s guns were one of the day’s most popular attractions.

“They were asking on the bus if we were going to see the guns and we said yes, and they wanted to know if they could take them back to the neighborhood,” said Torrance of the Young Republicans. “Yeah, right.”