SAN DIEGO — Residents in Rancho Penasquitos had a different wake up call on Saturday morning.
Marching to the beat of the drum, and the calls from their squad leader, the Young Marines made quite a spectacle on the quiet suburban streets. The collection of young men and women are disciplined, meticulous and all trained like they’re in the United States Marine Corps.
One member of the Young Marines told News 8, “We do marching, we do precision drills. We have the drums just like the Marine Corps, and I think a really big part of the Young Marines is the marching because of our discipline and teamwork. It really just bonds us as a family.”
Seventeen-year-old Sofie Righthouse is a Young Marine Seargent Major for Battalion 4. That particular battalion is based out of Miramar. The group focuses much of its attention on community service, but on Saturday, Righthouse marched her troops to the homes of veterans in her neighborhood. The event was to honor those that served before them.
The Young Marines installed flag poles and marched, with all the fanfare of the corps, to present an American flag to veterans of foreign wars.
Righthouse said, “It's not just learning about the person or learning where they live, but it's learning about their stories and having all of these 8-18-year-olds learn about these stories, about the heroes of America and just our everyday heroes that live around us every single day.”
Though Righthouse will be attending a Military College after she graduates this year, she said that most Young Marines won’t immediately enlist after they turn 18. So, whatever path these young men and women are on, they’ll always have the training and discipline they learned from the Young Marines.
One of the leaders of the Young Marines said, “Whether they want to go to college or whether they want to actually enlist or become an officer. We kind of guide them along the way. And I would say through meeting other people that are like-minded like them, they really discover their place in the Young Marine program and it just helps them later in life.”
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