Hubby and I volunteer with a youth organization, the Civil Air Patrol. We are the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force, but we are a volunteer organization not a military one.
This gets confusing to many, due to our uniforms being the same ones that the Air Force wears, with a few minor changes. Add to that confusion the fact that we have military-based regulations that we follow, which have a major focus on Safety (other things as well, but… Safety First!).
Each Summer, we put on a Basic Encampment. It is essentially an age-appropriate Basic Training for our Cadets. This is complete with an 0530 (5:30 AM for most folks) wake-up, early morning exercises, and other things one would associate with the military training environment (despite us not being a military organization). The picture here is the morning PT (Physical Training). This picture was taken at about 0545 on the 2nd or 3rd day of the activity. To say that NOBODY in this picture is happy to be up and exercising at this early hour, is mostly a true one. There are always exceptions to the rule.
I fondly refer to this as my “10 days with my favorite 350 screaming teenagers. The number changes from year to year. This year was the largest Encampment we have ever held, complete with 347 teenagers (often screaming) and 50-some-odd adult volunteers to act as a safety net for the Cadets. The Cadet and Adult Staff arrive 3 days before the Students get there, and we spend that time getting everything set in place, and ready for the fun to begin.
The Cadets actually run this program. There are set guidelines, but they run it. The Adults participate in a variety of functions, and as a safety net to ensure that none of the Cadets in charge of things randomly decide that this is a Hollywood movie, and they are the Mean-Marine-Drill-Sergeant character.
Myself, I love this activity. Watching the growth in these young people, arriving on the first day scared silly, and departing after graduation as confident young adults ready to go forth and conquer the world is an amazing experience.