Sailors from Navy Region Northwest Reserve Component Command talked with students about avoiding drugs and alcohol as part of a Campaign Drug Free (CDF) presentation, May 26-27, at Totem Middle School in Marysville, Wash.

The CDF program is a Navy-wide effort, sponsored by the Navy Reserve Force, to get Sailors and Marines in local classrooms to encourage kids to reach their goals by avoiding drugs and alcohol.

“I think having service members come in, especially in uniform, is great.  The students have a certain amount of respect for their position. And just having somebody from the community come in and talk to them allows them to ask questions of and get a different, real-life perspective,” said Sandy Olsen, Intervention Specialist at Totem Middle school who deals directly with the students whose lives, one way or another, are affected by drugs or alcohol. 

The Sailors visited nine classrooms of sixth graders all together. They introduced themselves and shared their personal and professional experiences, before breaking into an informational and interactive discussion.

“It was a very enjoyable experience,” said Personnelman 1st Class Jessica Burkhart. “The kids were very open and asked a lot of questions.”

Yeoman 2nd Class Jose Romero said he too was struck by how open the students were on the topic and suggested that the Sailors’ approach had a lot to do with the comfort level.

“We had a very give-and-take conversation. We learned a lot from the kids about what they go through and were able to emphasize our message according to that.”

The Sailors were also very honest with the kids about their own lives and experiences.

“We are very honest and aren’t afraid to tell our stories. We are able to tell them all that we’ve accomplished without drugs in our lives,” said Burkhart.

Olsen said that drugs and alcohol affect the lives of students across the country more than ever before, making it vital that students to know there are people they can talk to. CDF provides just that.

“It shows that service members not only care about their county but also about the young people in their community and what’s going on in their lives. It’s great,” said Olsen.

Sailors will be visiting several more schools over the next few months, reminding hundreds of students what they can accomplish with good choices.