For one week each summer, dozens of young people from Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties trade in their cell phones, sleep in cabins, wake before dawn and experience a taste of the discipline expected in law enforcement and the military.
The Pennsylvania State Police Troop L Camp Cadet program returned to Camp Manatawny in Douglassville this week, bringing together boys and girls ages 12 to 15 for a weeklong overnight camp designed to build teamwork, discipline and respect while introducing them to careers in public safety.
Throughout the week, cadets participated in physical training, drill instruction and team competitions while also taking part in demonstrations from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. This year’s schedule included visits from Trooper One (helicopter), medical evacuation crews, the Pennsylvania State Police Bomb Squad, K-9 units, scuba diving instructors and skydivers, along with activities such as marksmanship and horseback riding.
Trooper Ethan Brownback, Troop L’s public information officer and Camp Director, said prospective campers are told exactly what to expect before they arrive.
“We’re going to wake up really, really early, we’re going to PT, rain or shine, we are going to drill,” Brownback said. “We tell them that there’s no jewelry at this camp, no makeup, no electronics.”
The camp follows a paramilitary structure, with cadets expected to address instructors with “yes sir” and “yes ma’am” while maintaining their cabins and working together as squads throughout the week.
Despite the demanding schedule, Brownback said campers are also rewarded with experiences few of their peers get to enjoy.
“We bring in a plethora of different entities within the law enforcement field,” he said. “They get to try on all their high-speed, low-drag gear. We throw flashbangs here, we throw smoke bombs, we blow stuff up. They learn how to properly shoot a rifle, they ride a horse, they scuba dive. They get to watch paratroopers jump out of the air.”
For many cadets, the week is their first extended time away from home.
“A lot of them are only 12 years old, and waking up at 5:45 every morning and getting yelled at, like in the police academy or in boot camp,” Brownback said. “I’m just super proud of this group. They’ve really shaped up into good cadets and have really overcome a lot of adversities, a lot of challenges.”
Among those completing the program was Kyree Pilgrim of the Hamburg Area School District, who said the early wake-up calls have been the toughest part of the experience.
“The week’s been going really well, actually,” Pilgrim said. “I like everything besides waking up early in the morning.”
Pilgrim said her favorite part of camp has been recreation time, when cadets from different squads can interact and unwind together.
“We get to communicate, and we get to talk to each other and stuff, and we get to rest and play,” he said.
She also enjoyed learning firearm safety and participating in the camp’s marksmanship program.
“I get to remember all the things we were learning about safety,” Pilgrim said. “It was really fun to use the rifle.”
Although she initially signed up because of the activities and physical training, Pilgrim said the experience has strengthened her interest in military service.
“As we proceeded to go on, I started to really want to join the military, like the Army,” she said. “That’s what most of my grandparents were doing when they were 18, so I was trying to look up to them and serve the country when I’m older.”
One of the week’s most anticipated demonstrations came Thursday evening, when professional skydivers parachuted into camp to meet with the cadets.
Matt DeCesare, who has been skydiving for 20 years and has completed nearly 8,000 jumps, has participated in the Camp Cadet demonstration for four years. He said the event is about more than showcasing an exciting sport.
“The greatest things in life are on the other side of fear,” DeCesare told the cadets. “You have to push through what is scary to get what is great.”
Using a skydive as a metaphor, DeCesare described the moment before stepping from an airplane.
“You open that door and the wind rushes in and you’re terrified,” he said. “Everything in your body says, ‘Stay in the airplane.’ … When your feet leave the door, all of the fear and apprehension is instantly gone. It is sheer excitement and joy, peace and calm.”
He encouraged the campers to apply that lesson throughout their lives.
“Anything that you have apprehension for, just go through that door, because you have no idea what’s on the other side.”
Camp Cadet concludes Saturday with a graduation ceremony recognizing the cadets’ accomplishments after a week of physical challenges, teamwork and leadership development.
