Photo By Brandon Honig | Marshal Berry, 13, from Riverside Preparatory School competes in the marksmanship...... read more read more
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PERRIS, Calif. - Just a teenager, Titus Nickson left his family behind in Nigeria last year to escape the terror of Boko Haram and grow into the man his father had envisioned.
“My father instilled in me that you should be that different kid – that no matter what circumstances come, I should try to overcome it. What he has taught me has helped build me as a person to where I am today,” Nickson, now 17, said Oct. 24 during a statewide California Cadet Corps competition in Perris. “Apart from my dad, the Cadet Corps has built me as a person really well. It changed my way of thinking.”
After living for a short time in America with a friend of his father’s from Nigeria, Nickson moved in with a soccer teammate’s family, where he currently lives “so peacefully and happily” while attending Indian Springs High School in San Bernardino. Nickson said the Cadet Corps has given him discipline and shaped him as a person mentally and morally. He plans to continue his growth in the U.S. Army, hopefully after earning his college degree through a soccer scholarship.
Nickson said he values everything the Cadet Corps has taught him, and schools across the state should talk to their students to ensure they understand how it can help them overcome life’s challenges.
With 5,000 cadets in more than 50 elementary, middle and high schools across the state, the National Guard-run Cadet Corps program develops youths with leadership skills and discipline who perform well academically and serve their communities. On Oct. 24, more than 200 cadets from 16 schools traveled to the California Military Institute (CMI) in Perris for the State Academic, Athletic, Marksmanship, Community Emergency Response Team Competition.
"This affords the cadets an additional opportunity to attend a state competition, building camaraderie with their peers, learning from each other and displaying the skills they’ve worked so hard to develop," said Cadet Corps spokesman Capt. Kenneth M. Cook-Askins Jr., noting that the recent event complements the annual State Drill and Individual Major Awards competitions.
Academic topics covered Oct. 24 included mental math, patriotic songs and symbols, spelling, military generals and the three branches of government. Athletics covered a variety of calisthenics and track events as well as basketball, football and soccer skills. The Community Emergency Response Teams were tested on fire response and first aid, while the marksmanship competitors shot pellet rifles from prone positions.
“The Cadet Corps is a really good experience. We are learning leadership, courage and knowledge about the military,” said Marshal Berry, 13, who represented Riverside Preparatory Academy in the marksmanship event and scored three bulls-eyes.
Marshal’s grandfather, retired Army Maj. Dale Berry, said Marshal has grown up a great deal since entering the Cadet Corps.
“He has really matured and learned how to respect people,” the Vietnam-era Huey helicopter pilot said. “You used to have to really yank him around, but the Cadet Corps straightened him out.”
Eric Moreno, 15, who aspires to be a Navy SEAL, said that transformation is common in the Cadet Corps.
“I’m a platoon leader, so I see them when they first get in, and I see them grow up as they go more into their military career with the Cadet Corps,” said Moreno, a student at American Christian Military Academy of Excellence in Rancho Cucamonga. “When I first started, I was very scared of speaking in front of people, but I have since learned how to speak to others and teach them and have them help me while I help them.”
Moreno’s classmate Joshua Cortes, 14, said he also hopes to become a Navy SEAL, and he is not daunted by the rigorous requirements.
“The Cadet Corps will help me get through boot camp because we already do it here and we’re getting used to it,” he said. “All it takes is courage and heart to get through anything.”
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.03.2015 19:13 |
| Story ID: | 180811 |
| Location: | PERRIS, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 348 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Cadet Corps shows competitive side: 16 schools bring their best at statewide competition, by Brandon Honig, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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