Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, GA (Sept 21, 2006) -- Why would a typical high school teenager voluntarily subject himself to someone barking orders in his face, to being told what to wear and exactly how to wear it and to practice close-order-drill under a blazing-hot, summer sun?

Maybe for the same reasons many 18-year-olds across the country put up with this same treatment every year at the Marine Corps Recruit Depots at Parris Island, S.C. and San Diego, Calif. — for the pride of wearing the eagle, globe and anchor.

But those typical high school students aren’t so typical after all. They’re members of the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at Dougherty Comprehensive High School, located just a few miles outside the fences of Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany.

The Dougherty High coed program has been in existence since 1996, and out of a student body of about 1,100 students, 190 are members of the MCJROTC program there. That’s a membership rate of about 17 percent.

“Many of our students join for the same reasons young men and women join the Marine Corps,” said retired Maj. Ron Underdahl, senior military instructor of the local unit whose involvement with them goes back 11 years. “For many of our kids, this program fills a need to belong to an organization, fills a void in their lives and gives them a sense of belonging. This neighborhood offers a lot of negative temptations for the kids.”

“This is not a recruiting tool,” says retired Sgt. Maj. Stephen Martin, military instructor since 2004. “What I emphasize is, first you have to get your high school diploma, then college, vocational school or enlist in the military. But the most important thing is to continue to improve yourself after high school.”

The local program does, however, graduate its share of members that do end up enlisting in the military. Last year’s battalion sergeant major joined the Marines and is currently serving in Iraq and last year’s battalion commander reported to Marine boot camp earlier this month. Several others plan on becoming Marines following their high school graduation.

Eighteen-year-old Marcus Nix, this year’s battalion commander, plans to enlist in the Marines following his high school graduation next spring. “I joined the MCJROTC program because I wanted more discipline in my personal life and in my school work,” the four-year member stated. “I’m joining the Marine Corps because they’re the best. They’ll challenge me to be a better person.”

Those sentiments are echoed by the battalion operations officer, 17-year-old Jontrevius Keith, who takes his future plans one step further. “This (MCJROTC program) is another challenge for me. I try to keep myself occupied so I stay out of trouble. I plan to enlist in the Marines and retire at age 38.”

The cadets of the Dougherty High School MCJROTC program may still enjoy typical teenage pleasures like sleeping until noon on weekends and talking to their friends for hours on the telephone, but they’re accepting challenges and self-discipline that hardly qualifies them as your average, run-of-the-mill American teenagers.

They’re starting to act like, well, typical young Marines.

Since its inception in 1996, the JROTC program has been viewed as a strong program that provides youth with much-needed skills in citizenship and leadership. Numerous studies have shown that students who participate in JROTC programs have better attendance, grades, and graduation rates relative to students who were in general academic programs. MCJROTC teaches young men and women the kind of self discipline, self-confidence, and leadership skills that can help them successfully meet the challenges of adulthood. Principals and school administrators also maintain positive attitudes toward JROTC because of their goals, according to the Web site www.mcjrotc.org.

Source: www.blackmilitaryworld.com (Story by: Pat Fisher)