Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Stephanie Butler | 160523-N-YD083-100 ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 23; 2016) Navy and Marine Corps personnel...... read more read more
Story by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Stephanie McNally, USS Bataan Public Affairs
NEW YORK – The Wasp-class multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) embarked several small groups of high school students that are involved with Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), Sea Cadets, and Marine Delayed Entry Program (DEP) from May 23 until May 25 for the ships transit from Norfolk, Virginia to New York for the 2016 Fleet Week New York (FWNY).
The DEP program is for those who have enlisted, but are waiting for their assigned date to go to Basic Training. Being embarked affords them a real life experience for what they will experience on active duty.
While aboard, they live in troop berthing’s and eat on the mess decks with the enlisted Sailors and Marines currently serving aboard Bataan.
“This is what we call the make it or break it tour,” said Cmdr. Debbie Treacy of the Sea Cadets. “This year, the cadets we have brought are the top-notch. They are mostly juniors and seniors, and this is where they decide if they want military life on a ship or not. So we call it the make it or break it tour.”
While aboard, the students got to witness a fueling at sea (FAS), as well as an M9 service pistol gun shoot.
“My recruiter gave me the opportunity to see what life was like on a ship,” said Faith Scalisi, a Marine Delayed Entry Program Poolee who will be leaving for basic training in November of this year. “I am really lucky to see all of the things that I have seen this is all really motivating.”
Aboard there were also several physical activities for them to participate in. The Master-at-Arms aboard Bataan put together an event they called the “MA Olympics,” which was a series of stations, including how to break down a pistol, how to take control with a baton, and how to properly wear protective gear and raid an area. There were several physical activity stations as well including push-ups, sit-ups and tug-of-war between cadets, JROTC and DEP program Poolee’s against the Bataan’s staff of Master-at- Arms.
When asked what they learned by this experience, Cadet Commander of Linden Navy JROTC Apryl Sambucharan said, “ I have learned to be thankful for what I have at home, and to not take that for granted, because when I’m here, you’re very limited to things and you have to move quickly.
Chief Petty Officer, J T’aime Thompson of Linden Navy JROTC explained, “ I have learned that you have to really fight for what you want, because every person that we have talked to tells us how much they have had to work to get to the rank that they are, and that really opened my eyes to how serious it is to put in hard work to be successful.”
FWNY, now in its 28th year, is the city’s time-honored celebration of the sea services. It is an unparalleled opportunity for the citizens of New York and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as witness firsthand the latest capabilities of today’s maritime services. The weeklong celebration has been held nearly every year since 1984.
For up-to-date information on all FWNY events, visit the official FWNY website at http://www.fleetweeknewyork.com/, "Like" FleetWeekNewYork on Facebook, or "Follow" @FleetWeekNYC on Twitter. FWNY photos can be viewed on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/fwnypao/ and Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/fleetweeknyc/. Join the conversation on social media by using #FleetWeekNYC.
| Date Taken: | 05.25.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2016 06:21 |
| Story ID: | 199372 |
| Location: | NEW YORK, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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