MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- More than 50 local Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps Cadets were given the opportunity to complete a Marine Corps endurance course during the Cadet Leadership Course at Stone Bay aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, June 17.
The week-long training exercise gave the cadets the opportunity to experience different aspects of the Marine Corps, to include training with scout snipers and viewing a military working dog demonstration.
Cadets from Lejeune, North Fort, Fort Mill, Central, Cheraw and Ardrey Kell High Schools were divided into eight platoons for the training exercise.
“Not one high school makes up a platoon,” said retired Col. Sean T. Mulcahy, senior Marine Corps NJROTC instructor at Nation Fort High School. “They’re all mixed together. It gives them an opportunity to get to know others and learn the importance of teamwork.”
The cadets were challenged to mentally and physically motivate each other throughout the event.
“The obstacles were challenging and dynamic,” said cadet Capt. Joseph H. Ferguson, a senior with Nation Fort High School. “Teamwork is essential during these types of physically challenging events. They’re the people who motivate you to get through it.”
The three-mile course included events such as ammo can lifts, tire jumps and navigating through pipes.
“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve done during the week,” said Ferguson. “My platoon is the reason I got through the obstacles I did.”
The cadets utilized the training to experience a part of the Marine Corps first hand, said Mulcahy.
“We don’t have anything like the endurance course near any of our high schools,” said Mulcahy. “It’s vital for these cadets to get this realistic Marine Corps training so they can get a taste of the real Corps. They’re doing something no one else from their schools will do, so they should be proud that they’ve completed these events. They’ve earned it.”