INDEPENDENCE, La. (AP) - Back in his hometown of Independence, retired Master Sgt. Clayton Arline Jr. is not interested in a quiet retirement after serving many years in the U.S. Air Force and in public education as an aerospace science instructor.
Instead he has been busy contacting Tangipahoa Parish school officials and people in the community about his vision of starting a kindergarten through eighth grade parishwide drill team.
He is eager to start a drill team, usually reserved for high schools, for younger generations as a way to sharpen their minds while teaching them vital life skills.
“To catch them at an early age,” he said. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
In his letter to elementary school principals and parents, he listed the benefits of being on a drill team, particularly for students from low socio-economic backgrounds. He saw the benefits first-hand as a drill team leader in a Massachusetts school. They developed leadership and comprehension skills, team work, self-discipline and gained an attention to detail, Arline said.
“Students who participated in our ROTC program had a 100 percent graduation rate,” he said.
Arline grew up in poverty in Independence and had a tough childhood that was scarred by an abusive father, he said. As a young person, he often got into trouble. However, he was able to turn his life around after joining the military when he was 20 years old.
He wrote a successful memoir about the difficult but inspiring story, “Grew Up in the Deep South and Saved by Many Angels: Mother Stood By Her Troubled Son’s Side.”
He returned to his hometown last year after teaching for 24 years in Springfield, Mass., at a school called Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy where he led the Junior ROTC drill team. Most drill teams are reserved for high schoolers, but Arline said drilling is beneficial for younger brains as well, as they learn how to be in sync with fellow drillers, memorize steps and process information quickly.
The parishwide team would be divided into groups by their age. Under his guidance, the trained team would have the opportunity to run the show themselves.
“The kids would do all the work,” he said.
Arline has not yet determined where the drill team would be based, as it depends on the amount of interest he gets from communities.
He is working on spreading the word about his idea and believes he will see a lot of interest from families.
Once enough kids are signed up for it, they would get their training from Arline.
They would then get to show their stuff to the public by holding performances for special occasions, he said.
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Information from: The Daily Star, https://www.hammondstar.com
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