Coast Guard Seaman Kevin Malmrose, serving as a drill instructor, inspects Zhairi Birondo Vue’s posture and hat during the USO-Metro’s Operation Boot Camp on Saturday at the USO-Metro Fort Meade Center. The daylo...
Under the supervision of their drill instructors, recruits march in formation during Saturday's Operation Boot Camp at USO-Metro Fort Meade Center. Recruits went through a fast-paced military academy where they learned formations, the military alphab...
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (May 15, 2014) -- Howard Mahoney is a few years away from graduating high school but has already set his sights on the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.
On Saturday, the 15-year-old got a taste of military life at the USO-Metro's Operation Boot Camp.
"I feel like this is a good way to get trained-up to be in the Navy -- get an example of what it will be like in boot camp," Howard said.
Operation Boot Camp provides area military children a firsthand experience of what their parents went through when they entered the military. Modified boot camp activities included physical training, learning formations, academics and an obstacle course.
The free program was open to youngsters ages 12 to 17 who have parents in the military. For the second consecutive year, youths from surrounding installations and bases attended the program at Fort Meade.
"The goal is for them to meet kids who go through similar experiences and to get a better understanding of what their parent in the military has gone through and does on a daily basis -- they have more respect and understanding," said Shannon Rush, a program coordinator with the USO. "It also builds confidence, teamwork and respect."
Camp started with the teens signing their forms before being shuffled through a Military Entrance Processing Station for testing and physical training.
"It's very interesting," Howard said. "It's mighty tough."
To add a more realistic touch to the process, service members were brought in to serve as drill instructors. Coast Guard Seaman Kevin Malmrose -- a member of the Honor Guard at Telecommunication and Information Systems Command in Alexandria, Va., -- was one of the instructors who spent the day keeping recruits in line.
"I love working with kids," he said. "I just thought it would be great. The parents definitely love getting them in, getting the kids yelled at, giving them a taste of military life -- what their parents went through, which is pretty awesome because a lot of the kids don't understand what their parents went through. Maybe they'll be able to respect what we do a lot more."
After physical training, recruits went through a fast-paced military academy to learn formations, the military alphabet, and survival tactics including hand signals and the importance of camouflage.
"I think this stuff is fun," said recruit Jacob Seitz.
Staff Sgt. Edward Smith said he hopes to teach the teenagers a sense of leadership through the program.
"Anytime they get to work and perform as a group, it helps build those leadership characteristics and skills," he said.
Howard said the camp gave him a sample of what lies ahead as well as what his father, Capt. Howard Mahoney, experienced at the start of his own career.
"My favorite part is getting an example of what it's going to be like in the military," he said. "This is showing what the difficulty is going to be like and helping them get ready for it."
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