Junior leadership school during covid 2020

YM/lCpl austin, 9/2/2020

I am LCpl Dominic Austin of Capital City Young Marines in Raleigh, NC. I would like to share my experience in Junior Leadership School for July 2020 with Division 2 North Carolina Regiment, in Asheboro NC.

The fun part about this “camp “ is that each Young Marine had to sleep in an individual tent without sharing it with any other. The JLS staff members made the classroom time super fun, even though the PT time during the scorching temperatures was hard to endure. Because of Covid , the staff had to check our temperatures 3 times per day and wear masks all the time to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy.

Every day we had to be up at 7:00am and lights out at 10:00pm. After each breakfast (chow) we had class until dinner time, but with lunch break. Monday and Thursday we had PT tests. During the daily classes we learned about physical fitness and its components.

We learned about the 11 principles of leadership and what each of them means:
-know yourself and seek improvement
-be technically and tactically proficient
-know your Young Marines and look after their welfare
-keep your Young Marines informed
-set an example
-ensure the task is understood and supervised throughout completion
-train your Young Marines as a team
-make sound and timely decisions
-develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates
-employ your command in accordance with its capabilities
-take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your Young Marines.

We also learned about the steps to write and perform public speeches, we talked in detail about each Young Marine rank as well as the duties and responsibilities of adult staff and what each billet does/represents.

We learned essential subjects and important Young Marine facts, about the qualities of a leader and 14 leadership traits. My favorite parts of the class were learning how to tie knots, how to use a map and compass and lastly about citizenship attributions. While I was there we did an amazing activity with learning the map and compass. We were given a card and we had to follow 3 points to get to our final destination.

During the week we had multiple tests on a variety of subjects such as: public speaking , drill, and physical fitness. We also had some written tests. On Friday we had uniform inspection so we could get ready for Graduation day. On Saturday, graduation day, we each got our certificates for completing JLS. I had a great time while I was there and I made a lot of new friends with the other Young Marines from different units.

​JLS taught me how to become a better leader and I think this would be a great opportunity for other Young Marines to go through as well. I thank the school director , Mr. Greg Ross, and all the staff members for the opportunity and for teaching us great and amazing things.