May 18, 2008
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What is it like to be a Teen in Boot Camp?
Anyone with military experience and having
previously enrolled in the the required boot camp will be able to
relate to the teen boot camp program, as this is the model from which
the boot camps were
modeled, first in Georgia. Typically, when arriving
at boot camp (otherwise referred to as ‘basic training’ in the military
jargon), a training instructor boards the bus (all recruits enter the
base on a bus) and begins to change the way in which everyone thinks,
eats, talks and any other activity that was once considered to be a
‘right.’ Before this time, there is conversation on the bus as the new
recruits are contemplating an issue that is completely unknown to all
on the bus. Suddenly, when the instructor (referred to as a TI) embarks
upon the bus, a new world is viewed and everyone is told the story that
is forever engrained in the minds of all involved: “I am your mother,
your father, your brother, your sister and even you pet dog!”
The whispers start, seemingly from the back of the
bus, but even this is brought to sudden halt when the TI approaches one
person on the bus, at random and asks why someone is talking. The world
changes before one’s eyes. Everyone stops talking as the TI begins to
yell (at the top of his lung capacity) to get off the bus in an orderly
fashion, starting from the back to the front of the bus and as each
person passes by the TI, the word “rainbow” is used to denote the fact
that the new recruits are somehow different from the others on the
base. Another pack of soldiers, called a “flight” (in the Air Force)
marches by and stops directly in front of the pack of people who just
disembarked the bus and they are instructed to look at “these new
‘rainbows’ as they are called because of the many different colors
obvious with respect to their clothing. Looking around, the only color
that is seen in as far as clothing is concerned is the same: Olive
Green, the color that will be a part of the soldiers’ lives from the
day the enter the military to the day they pass through all of the
obstacles of ‘basic training.’ Or boot camp as it is commonly referred
to
Although this is a representative view of what it is
like to be a teenager sent by his parents or 
required to attend
boot camp by a Juvenile Justice of the peace. One might, however,
consider the differences between the two types of boot camp their
operational philosophies and the type of person enrolled in the two
types of boot camp, as the differences are much more than those aspects
that make them similar. For example, most military schools, or boot
camps are privately owned companies that offer an environment that
consists of discipline, hard work, and a specific degree of teamwork,
an essential aspect of both the teen boot camp as well as military
basic training. For example, in the military, perhaps one of the most
important characteristics the leaders desire to instill upon the
recruits is a sense of ‘membership’ and teamwork. During one specific
experience, a Training Instructor entered the barracks for a ‘surprise
inspection.’ Immediately, and without any warning, the door opens and
everyone stands at attention at the feet of his or her respective beds,
adjacent to a foot locker. During the inspection, the TI approaches
what looks like one of the best looking beds in the barracks, picks up
the mattress (with no help) and throws it out of the window near the
bed. The TI then looks around, and waits. Nothing is said. Then he
leaves the barracks, but first stating the following: “I will be back
in ten minutes, airman! I want that bed back together with its
mattress!”
What happens immediately following the situation can
easily be the topic of a thesis on the dynamics of a group in a
society. Within a few moments, a leader emerges from the group and
decides to bring the battle home, addressing the rest of the airmen (an
airman is a member of the USAF), informing all of them that this is
nothing more than a test – a test to ascertain to what degree the team
will emerge as a group of people who are willing to help the one person
who needs help. It worked then, and it will work now.
Military schools attempt to be similar. They are
typically privately owned and they are usually modeled after other
institutions, such as West Point. If there were one institution
that is world renowned for its reputation of being a “harsh,
environmentally cruel” school, it would have to be West Point. If
one would consider the official mission of West Point, for example, “To
educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate
is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty,
Honor and Country; professional growth throughout a career as an
officer in the United States Army; and a lifetime of selfless service
to the nation,” and compare it to the military cadet in teen boot camp,
there would not be much differences. To wit, most military school
cadets are expected to be obedient and they are expected to act with a
specific degree of professionalism. This is especially true if the
student is in the military school for the sole purpose of making the
military a career. However, although the differences between West Point
and some of the military schools are merely with relation to the ages
of those who join, the missions are strikingly similar.
From the military perspective, at least by those who
have had personal experience with the concept, the boot camp
environment can become an excellent place to properly implement a
‘basic training’ program within anyone’s life. Historically speaking,
the military boot camp gave birth to the concept of what is now called
‘basic training.’ The array of exercises is chosen carefully to
condition the body and the mind in unison through a course of
repetition and endurance that, beforehand, was considered impossible.
The all too common “sound off, one-two, three, four will become a
combination of words that one (possibly) was never exposed to, at least
not with respect to marching. Before starting boot camp, the typical
person (a young man, or a teen) was probably a person who was very
accustomed to the idea of coming home, grabbing a soda and sitting down
in front of the television and popping off to mom or dad without a care
in the world. But, with the advent of boot camp (or basic training,
whichever applies the most), the concept is all but gone from one’s
life for a period of one to two months. From that point forward, the
person’s identity is completely erased; and it’s all part of the idea –
to take an individual, strip all sense of “self” and then rebuild the
person into a ‘well-oiled machine’ that is prepared to deal with
problems not on a personal level, but on a higher, more confident level
using the idea of teamwork. Unfortunately the struggling teen
almost never actually desires to be at the boot camp as opposed to the
typically responsible adult wishing to serve their country and pursue a
career at military run boot camps. This mentality / maturity difference
is substantial and in many cases the plan to get help for a wayward
teen at boot camp will backfire and the troubled teen will become more
oppositional, isolated and defiant as a result of attending teen boot
camp. True the teen may pretend to behave around his parents almost
universally the first few months After returning home from boot camp
this transformation will be more out of fear of going back to teen boot
camp than the internalization of a changed teen intent and desirous to
make positive long term change in his/her life. There are specialty
boarding schools, which have demonstrated a commendable ability at
helping teens in this regard.
If one can understand the concept of basic
training as it applies to the military, the philosophy outside of the
aforementioned, of teen boot camp is not much different. For example,
military basic training is a course through which one must attend in
order to become a member of the armed forces. This is true for the
commissioned officer as well as the non-commissioned officer. The two
are different with respect to status and rank. Within the echelon of a
military command, one can view the officer as one of the CEOs whereas
the non-commissioned officer would be the people who listen to the CEO
for direction with regard to the mission. It is indeed hard to imagine
a struggling youth finding himself in a boot camp situation intensively
listening and learning trying to be a contributing member of a team.
Basic training in the military is a structured course that
literally takes a young man or woman and helps that person unleash his
or her own potential, but not as a one-man or woman unit, but in terms
of the command and the mission. And, much unlike boot camp for the
teen, the training does not stop at the end of basic training. In fact,
throughout the career of a serviceperson, training is a continuous,
never ending process that instills a sense of pride and ‘ownership’
with regard to the unit. If this were not so, the mission would
never mean anything with regard to the individual or the unit. And, if
one could extrapolate this concept and apply it to the teen basic
training, again, there would be little difference. The only obvious
differences would be with respect to the age of the cadets, the mission
as well as why the individual is enrolled.
Alongside the fact that training takes place either
in the military or the private sector (with regard to teen boot camp),
the military is perhaps the only instance where a person at the age of
twenty would be given so many different responsibilities. But, again,
to extrapolate that concept, there is a definite parallelism with
regard to the military training and the boot camps that are designed
for delinquents or teens (even if the teens are enrolled in a teen boot
camp not for delinquency but for preparation for a possible career in
the military however unlikely). Life on a military installation
(otherwise referred to as a base) is very much like a small community,
right down to the point where some installations, especially those in
the overseas offer theatres, have individual banks and post offices.
With regard to the teen boot camps, while there might not be the same
types of services, the idea is to take the teen away from the
influences of one community and put them into a totally different
community. And totally break him or her down and show them that.
This concept is extremely similar to the military training stations and
bases.
The very core, however, of training and discipline
in basic training is quite similar to what is found on a military
installation that is designed to take new recruits and transform them
into members of the military. Whether a young teen at the age of 14 or
15, for instance, will be able to handle the constant yelling and
screaming ‘right in the face of those who do not perform well’ is a
different issue altogether especially considering the behavioral,
emotional and mental aspects of a struggling teen in this situation.
Whereas a person at the age of 18 or above may be better equipped to
handle criticism does not have any indication as to whether a younger,
less mature or secure teenage might be able to handle without any
difficulty. For the child who is merely having some problems dealing
with issues in life that might be considered slightly abnormal at such
an age, military training or boot camp might be beneficial, as this
type of behavior might not entice the instructors to yell and scream at
the individual. However, if the same child is suffering from
severe, emotional and identity issues that might entice or attract the
input from a training instructor, military school or boot camp might
not be the best option; and this would be a great time for the
parent(s) to explore other options that are more appropriate for the
child’s age or problems.
It is commonly known that the true boot camp
will include uniforms, marching in formation as well as a “yes sir,”
and “no sir” mentality as well as a very structured environment that
includes the trainers getting “right in the face of the offender.” the
dorms are set up with the same system that is often associated with the
boot camps in the military, such as the bunk beds, foot lockers and a
very strict, no holes barred system of inspections that must be
completed without error if the teen is to survive the ordeal, even for
a short period of time. Whether a child is able to handle this
type of boot camp environment is actually a question that must be
considered before a parent puts a struggling teen in the midst of these
boot camp instructors and within the environment that does not permit
any outside contact for a prescribed period of time. It is clear that
teens with behavioral problems that are beyond the scope of these
environments should not be considered for these types of programs.