Guardsmen mentor Middle and High School students in the Florida Keys
Written by 1st Lt. Jesse Manzano // May 31, 2011 // Feature Stories, News
ISLAMORADA, Fla. (May 31, 2011) – For the third year in a row, Guardsmen from across Florida descended on the Florida Keys to team up with Monroe County Middle and High School students to instill in them positive life choices, serve as role models and provide them with drug prevention education through leadership and team building activities.
In early May the Florida National Guard Drug Demand Reduction week-long “Blitz in the Keys” operation was part of a Florida Guard statewide campaign aimed at instilling the Army Values to young adults in Middle and High Schools across the state. Through programs like Youth Leader, Night Vision and Stay on Track, the Florida Guard takes different approaches and methods to ensure that Middle and High School students in the state will make the right decisions as they transition into adulthood.
“This is my team’s first Blitz in the Keys,” said 1st Lt. James Gatchel, the officer in charge of the Northern Keys Blitz team and a member of the 53rd Brigade Support Battalion. “The great thing about this program is that by allowing us to interact with and teach young adults, we are given an opportunity to plant a seed in their minds that we hope will help guide them as they mature and move on in life.”
In addition to the twenty Florida Guardsmen supporting the “Blitz in the Keys” operation, this year the Florida Guard partnered with the Georgia, Puerto Rico and Arizona National Guards, as well as the National Guard Bureau to provide additional resources and personnel to the Monroe County Schools targeted. Throughout the operation, Guardsmen visited eight schools in the Keys and worked with more than 2,000 students.
“This is great for the kids – they look up to the Soldiers and it makes the message they share with them so much more powerful and impactful,” said Liz Logan, assistant principal for Marathon Middle School. “The students interact with their teachers every day, so having someone from the outside, in this case Soldiers from the Guard, come into the school and talk about making positive choices, leadership and teambuilding helps all of us in reinforcing our message in the long run.”
The “Blitz in the Keys” and the Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) operation are part of the Florida Guard’s Counterdrug programs, established to provide a variety of military support for local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and community based organizations in their fight against illicit drugs. To learn more about this and other Florida National Guard programs, please visit the Guard’s website at www.floridaguard.army.mil/programs/counterdrug.aspx
###
