MARK WAITE / PVT A boot camp graduate salutes Director Derek Bayer while picking up a medal. Advertisement

Sixteen teenagers marched into the Pahrump Valley High School gym in single file, then snapped to when a man in military uniform briskly called out, "Attention."

The first graduation ceremony for the Nye County Juvenile Probation and Nevada National Guard Youth Boot Camp was held Friday. One boot camp member couldn't attend due to a family emergency. Twenty-five began the program, eight didn't finish.

The marriage of National Guard boot camp and Nye County juvenile probation was the dream child of juvenile probation officer Randy Saltzman, a National Guardsman himself. National Guard members from Las Vegas came out to run the camp.

The enrollees were low- or medium-risk offenders referred by the courts or the DAY program, the new home sentencing program for low-risk offenders. There were 12 sessions, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, in June and most of July.

The physical training associated with boot camp was followed by drug and alcohol prevention education, drill and ceremony, then what they called the low-ropes program, using gym apparatus for team building and exercise.

"I'm trying to bring this to Pahrump because it's a fine community," Bayer said in his introductory remarks to parents and family members in the gym stands. "This is their home too, and they need to equally contribute something positive for our community."

"What we've been working on for the past seven weeks is to instill positive values," he said, "trying to teach them that their lives do affect other people."

A few parents came up afterwards to thank the program coordinators.

"Two months ago when this program started, these boys were here because they had to be. Now two months later they're here because they want to be, and I think that's a tribute to them and their efforts," said Nye County Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Tom Metscher. "It's a wonderful opportunity. I hope they continue this further and see that they've accomplished a very positive role so they can carry it forward. They know that they can reach their goals."

The pep talk by guest speaker, Capt. Daniel Hernandez, senior instructor for ROTC, said that program has grown in five years to include 250 students at Pahrump Valley High School.

"The mission of this program is not to recruit for the military. The mission of this program is to teach young people to be better citizens," Hernandez said.

Students in ROTC are taught courses like civics, U.S. and Nevada history, career planning, financial planning, drill and ceremonies, he said.

Hernandez, speaking to the students like a counselor, urged them to prepare for what society expects. He said they can choose to live in a nice home in some place like Summerlin or live on the streets.

"Prepare yourself. Get yourself an education. You have to maintain your health. You can go around and live until you're 60, 70, 80 with a minimum of health issues, or you can abuse yourself with all manner of poisons into your body and die somewhere on the street, somewhere in a dark alley," Hernandez said.

"The Good Lord gave you one mouth and two ears. I believe The Good Lord wanted you to listen rather than speak," he said. "Listen to the voice of experience."

"I think you made a good choice. You made some mistakes and now you're on the right road," Hernandez said.

With that, the commander barked out "Attention," then "Fall out," and the graduates were at ease.