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At your service
Topics: Young Marines, Marines, President's Call to Service award, volunteer, Stockdale High School
Posted by sunnica Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:44:51 PDT
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The Marines are tough, everyone knows that. No job seems too big for our nation’s burly jarheads. The title of Marine conjures up certain images: big, tough and often loud servers of the flag, protectors of freedom and defenders of the Constitution.

You don’t want to mess with a Marine.

One local Young Marine, though, doesn’t fit any of those descriptions. Try petite, sweeping dark lashes around wide doe eyes, long hair and pink lips.

Stockdale High School freshman Elizabeth Schull isn’t your typical Marine, but she isn’t your typical teenager, either.

Elizabeth is in the Bakersfield Young Marines unit. The Young Marines is a youth education and service program for boys and girls, ages 8 through completion of high school, similar to JROTC, or even the DARE program conducted by the Bakersfield Police Department. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral and physical development of its members, focusing on leadership and a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Elizabeth isn’t special merely because she’s been in the program since she was 8 or because she’s an honor student. This Southwest resident is a standout because at 14 years old, she achieved an award that can take people years, if not a lifetime, to accomplish.

On March 27, Elizabeth (now 15) was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, meaning that she has donated at least (and in her case over) 4,000 hours of community service work.

In his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush issued a challenge to all Americans to make time to help their neighbors, communities and nation through service. He called on each person to dedicate at least 4,000 hours — or two years — to service over the course of their lives.

Elizabeth took President Bush’s challenge to heart.

At just 8 years old, Elizabeth joined the Young Marines program, but not by choice.

“I came into this program because I had an attitude problem,” she explained politely, her warm smile and keen eye contact unwittingly contradictory to the image of an 8-year-old troublemaker.

“My parents told me that if I still wanted to quit after boot camp, I could,” she said, but added that when the 13 months had passed, she wanted to stay.

So, Elizabeth delved wholeheartedly into the Young Marines. She worked hard — hard enough to earn the more than 48 ribbons she wears on her uniform like an advertisement for overachievement, each ribbon representing a task or an award.

Elizabeth accumulated her volunteer hours by feeding the needy, cleaning up trash, helping the librarian at school and fixing houses, just to scratch the surface of her community service over six years.

Before the age of 15, Elizabeth had accumulated enough volunteer service hours to merit the award. Not only the bronze, silver and even the gold award — which are earned through 50 to 100-plus hours of volunteer service within a 12-month period — but an award that is bigger and more difficult to achieve.

Elizabeth was awarded the President’s Call to Service Award, which requires the 4,000 hours of volunteer work.

Just how rare is it for a teenager to earn the President’s Call to Service Award? Very, according to Pam Schull, Elizabeth’s mother, who believes her daughter’s achievement may be the first of its kind, at least for her young age.

“Elizabeth is the youngest recipient to have received this award,” she said, adding that her daughter’s achievement is confirmed with Points of Light Foundation, a non-profit group that verifies volunteers’ service hours.

According to John Gonzales, Elizabeth’s commanding officer, she is the only Young Marine among the organization’s 360 units and over 11,000 youths across 46 states, regardless of age, to receive this lifetime achievement award.

Good things keep happening for this teen. At 15, Elizabeth also just received the highest promotion available to a Young Marine: Sergeant Major.

Gonzales explained that it is not a meritorious rank. She earned it.

“When I asked my adult staff if the rank was good for her, without hesitation, they all said ‘Yes,’” said Gonzales, adding that the final decision was not his to make.

Brianne Pindil of Apple Valley, Calif. is the unit’s 2nd Battalion Commander, who had to approve Elizabeth’s promotion.

“She’s a smart girl, very well-rounded. She’s a great student, shows leadership and maintains a good image. Only 10 percent of all Young Marines make it to (Sergeant Major),” said Pindil. “We don’t give promotions away. She punched all her ticket holes for this level.”

Elizabeth’s goal is to graduate from Stockdale High and join the Marines. After serving her country, she plans to return and serve her city as a K-9 police officer.

It is clear that Elizabeth has a heart for service. Based on her record, it will not be surprising to see her punch ticket holes for success in life, as well.

Pink lipstick aside, this is one tough Young Marine.

Want to answer the call to volunteer?
For more information on the President’s Volunteer Service Award program, go to: www.presidentialserviceawards.gov
For more information on the Points of Light Foundation, go to: www.pointsoflight.org
To participate in the Young Marines program, call John Gonzales at 319-9839.

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Comment From: dweaver3

It's exciting and encouraging to see someone have accomplished so much while still so young!