Sixty-five Marine Corps JROTC students from Granbury High School and Crossland Ninth Grade Center ventured to Harlingen for a four-day exercise at the Marine Military Academy on February 23-27, 2014.

“It is an exciting and, in some cases, a transforming experience for many of our students,” commented Lt. Col. Scott Casey, the Senior Marine Instructor. This event is to familiarize cadets with a military lifestyle to include team building exercises, physical fitness, and leadership challenges.

Activities included an obstacle course, high ropes course, low ropes course, combat fitness test, close order drill, pugil sticks, and paint ball. The group hiked three miles on the final night to an Iwo Jima statue that served as the basis for the famed memorial in the Washington D.C. area. Also included were study times to work on school assignments as well room and hygiene inspections.

Boys bunked in the academy dormitories, while girls were housed at a nearby church because the academy includes an all-male boarding school. The students went without cell phones, computers, and other daily amenities to focus on the drills and other activities.

Cadet battalion staff members are Lt. Col. Rebecca Anderson, commanding officer; Major Sierra Smith, executive officer; Sgt. Major Daniel Alaniz; 2nd Lt. Adam Felan, S-1 administration officer; Staff Sgt.Hayle Carlile, S-3 operations officer; and 1st Lt. Stephen Schofield, S-4 logistics officer.

Participants from GHS were Alex Adams, Alexander Alvarado, Morgan Arnold, Cody Bogle, Hayle Carlile, Hunter Clowers, Alexander Clugston, Blake Connolly, Michael Does, Hunter Dowell, Bryan Elder, Bryce Elliott, Jacob Fleshman, Daniel Greenwood, Ryan Kruse, Kiran Lachman, Hailey Laney, Jonathan Lett, Karen McLellan, Matthew McLellan, Bryton Mize, Tyler Morrissette, Alexander Millen, Phuoc Nguyen, Hunter Pearce, Tyler Reno, Eduardo Ruiz, Shayla Satterfield, Aimee Selman, Reagan Slade, Orion Snodgrass, Carmon Spencer, Cody Vasquez, Jesus Villegas, Valen Webb, and Bryce Zavala.

Freshman attending were Daniel Adams, Jose Arriaga, Ethan Avalos, Chase Baker, Robert Chancellor, Alexander Clark, Destiny Dean-Pelfrey, Aaron Edwards, Blake Estes, Geohovani Garcia, Kenneth Greer, Freeman Hawker, Samuel Henthorn, Daired Knul, Kollin Ladesic, Deanza Moore, Jeremiah Patterson, Jacobi Roberson, Khlaed Sabek, Drake Sanders, Jacob Shaw, Dustin Tonkovich, and Tanner Wright.