Roughing It : Young Campers Get a Taste of Life in the Marine Corps

They will have the rest of the summer to relax and enjoy their vacations. But for one grueling week in July, 450 youngsters from as far away as Washington, D.C., have abandoned summer’s traditional pursuits to find out how they might like life as U.S. Marines.

From the moment they awake at 5:15 a.m. until lights out at 10 p.m., these few, proud youngsters, ages 8-18, will spend their time on training runs, crawling under barbed wire and learning how to capture a city without injuring civilians.

Dressed in camouflage hats, jeans and a variety of colored T-shirts denoting their units, they even act the part of Marines--standing at attention when spoken to, saluting officers and following orders throughout the weeklong Young Marines National Encampment, which began Tuesday.

“I have always wanted to be a Marine,” Garden Grove resident Heather Heuer said as she listened to shots being fired from a hill above her, where real Marines were taking infantry training. “Ever since I was little, I have always had that dream.”

Heuer, 17, who has been a member of the Tustin branch of Young Marines since the seventh grade, was promoted to 1st sergeant at the start of the encampment, becoming the first female in California to hold that rank. She plans to enlist in the Corps after she graduates from Marina High School in Huntington Beach next year.

“That is my plan,” she said. “Like I said, every kid has their dream and this is mine. I guess I like it fast-paced. It just gets in your blood.”

Not all the children participating in the program see their futures in the Marine Corps. Some view the camp as an opportunity to have fun and meet other children.

Osei Kirby, of Los Angeles, said he became involved in the program after two cousins joined, although he doesn’t see himself as a future Marine.

“I like it because it teaches me a lot of different things and most of all it challenges me,” the 13-year-old said. “The oral exams and promotion tests are the hardest parts.”

During their week at the 125,000-acre Marine base, the youngsters take turns learning to rappel off a 60-foot tower, running the standard obstacle and assault courses and watching combat demonstrations.

The camp is the closest that 16-year-old Luel Bucago--the highest ranking Young Marines officer in the United States--will come to living the life of a Marine. Although his dream was to follow his father into the Corps, Luel has severe asthma and was recently told he could not join up.

But Luel said that hasn’t stopped him from remaining in the Young Marines.

“Being a Marine was something brought on by my father and I did want to follow in his footsteps,” he said. “But so far I’m just doing my hardest to show kids that their dreams can come true even though mine didn’t.”

Youngsters from California, Virginia, Michigan, New Mexico and Washington D.C., all members of their local Young Marines chapters, participated in the camp. The organization was founded in 1958 to teach young people self-discipline and teamwork.

Luel’s father, Leon Bucago, the commanding officer for the Young Marines’ Tustin branch, said the Orange County group, which has about 120 members, goes through weekly physical training, attends lectures about life in the armed forces and learns about Marine discipline. Members also attend boot camp.

“I think the youth of today are screaming for parameters,” Bucago said. “With our program they study leadership, drug and alcohol prevention. I would rather have them (in the Young Marines program) than out there doing drugs and getting involved in gangs. We offer them a positive atmosphere where we show them how to succeed.”