Not your average spring break for NJROTC cadets

It wasn’t an average spring break for about three dozen Riverhead High Schoolers, as 35 NJROTC cadets spent last week going through boot camp down in Parris Island, S.C.

After driving down Sunday evening, the cadets arrived bright and early Monday morning — only to be drilled by instructors as soon as they got to the Marine recruiting facility.

For the next few days, the group ate, slept and lived like real recruits, participating in some physical training courses and using a simulated marksmanship trainer.

After training, the cadets traveled to Oceana Naval Air Station, where they got a close-up look at how jet engines are repaired, stood in the control tower and observed the flight deck, and saw how F/A-18F’s run, straight from a pilot.

To wrap up the trip before heading home, the group was able to relax at Busch Gardens — where they got to take some good old fashioned rides.