And then there were three

Lawrence Echon, Bethany Maratita, and Irwin Taitano are the newest members of the Raiders, a unique and elite group of cadets within the JROTC corps at Saipan Southern High School.

The Raiders’ first graduated class formed in May 2005, with nine out of 32 members. This year the Raiders’ third class of April 29, 2006 graduated three out of 16.

Why such low graduations? The cadets who enter this training understand that the challenges involve both mental and physical challenges, while maintaining and graduating with a minimum average of 70 percent.

The subjects that these Raiders must master in five months are: marksmanship training, maps (land navigation, orienteering, map reading), ropes (knot tying and 1 rope bridge), first Aid (this year trained and certified by the local Red Cross), and the Cadet Challenge Plus (above the normal cadet physical testing due to a six-part challenge involving a 30ft shuttle run, curl ups (1 minute), V-sit, pull ups, push ups, and a two-mile run.

“All cadets of SSHS, as well as many from the other school in the CNMI, know about these Raiders and ask me questions as if these Raiders are among the elite,” said SFC (retired) Richard C. Haugh, SSHS-JROTC Army Instructor/Primary Trainer. Haugh is a former member of Special Forces and the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat/Airborne).

First honor graduate and current Raider commander Gary Camacho said, “I’ve been on the team for two years since it was developed. Every year we start off with a large number of participants and end with a small number due to high Raiders requirements. Throughout our trainings we’ve been through many adventures. I am looking at bringing the team to a higher standard than before, with training like scuba diving and rappelling.”

Honor graduate of Class of 2006 Lawrence Echon said, “The training of the Raiders really enhanced my ability to be physically and emotionally fit. Don’t forget mentally fit, too. During the training I had harsh times, because of time schedules, injuries, and other personal issues. But all this training with the Raiders will help me in the future. I know that.”

The graduates concluded with the traditional run to the top of Mount Tapochao, with the newest members receiving their Raider Arcs and black cords issued by Senior Army Instructor SGM (retired) Joaquin Kiyoshi and Haugh. The Raiders expressed their gratitude to the local Red Cross for their first aid training and Saipan Southern High School for the various vehicle supports throughout their training. (PR)