I have a story to tell

I have a story to tell; the Junior Leadership Bootcamp class In Riverside, California, was terrific! We had 11 students that graduated as cadets.

Now the story, but let me introduce myself. My name is Sgt. Carlson of the United States Marine Corps. I served in Aircraft Rescue Firefighting. In the USMC, I was in charge of training Marines to be Firefighters.

On the first day of class, I walked into the classroom, and the room was silent. I had 11 students looking back at me. I asked them questions, and they were still quiet. I thought, oh no, what am I going to do. Then I asked them a simple question.

“Do you feel Mikey Mouse is a Leader?”

One of the JLBC Cadets raised his hand and said, “Yes, Mikey Mouse is a leader because he is Mikey Mouse.”

Then I instructed them on the leadership qualities of Mickey Mouse. I then taught them how to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. We went to the parade deck and practiced a close order drill. They loved it because they could tell other students what to do. We also did light martial arts training, and that was day one. I saw a transformation in them on that day because they were learning a skill, and from that skill, they gained confidence. I had them do one last task before I ended the class. I had them each introduce themselves, and they did it with flying colors. This is just one story of many, and we welcome you to join our community of leaders.