It is a Saturday morning and twenty students line up behind a pull up bar. One by one they attempt a max set of pull-ups, while the others enthusiastically cheer them on. Near the end of the line a petite brunette quietly waits her turn. Dwarfed by the young men around her she is demure and does not exude the same raucous behavior as her male counterparts. As the line dwindles, she steps forward, climbs onto the bar, and pulls herself up while the others begin to count. Her friends are planning summer vacations and graduation parties before going to college the following fall. Her name is Meranda Lefler, and she has other plans.
Meranda is a senior at Cicero, North Syracuse High School and is following in the footsteps of her great Uncle Fritz and enlisting in the United States Marine Corps after Graduation.
Meranda is among the 50,000 other young men and women who will be enlisting into the armed forces this year. While the pride and tradition of the military has not waivered with the current worldwide strife, the way they train and fight has changed exponentially over the last ten years.
Colonel Patrick Franks, commanding officer, 3rd Battalion Brigade Combat Team, Fort Drum, tells us, “What we are asking Soldiers to do today is a very demanding mission. What we have done is to train Soldiers on those special skill sets. Not only the basic fundamentals that we have always done, but those that will make them successful on counter-insurgency when we get into Afghanistan.”
Using technology, the military is able to not only enhance the way they are training service members but, once in combat, technology is playing a pivotal role providing support while keeping our young men and women safe. Like the MQ9 Reaper, an unmanned aerial vehicle that is being employed by National Guardsmen of the 174th Fighter Wing, stationed at Hancock Airfield, Syracuse, N.Y.
Meranda slowly lowers herself off the bar, her set complete. She receives an approving pat on the back by one of the recruiters and several cheers from her fellow Marine applicants. She takes her place back in line allowing her self a small smile of accomplishment. Meranda is just starting her journey into a new world with technology and training, and she couldn’t be happier.
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