BLOG: National Team stars Kamal Bey and Kayla Miracle visit Marines in Quantico

Kamal Bey (far left) and Kayla Miracle (far right) had the experience of a lifetime at the USMC Educator's Workshop in Quantico, Va. 

Last week, Junior World bronze medalist and 2017 World Team alternate Kayla Miracle and 2017 Junior World Team member and Senior alternate Kamal Bey visited the Marine base in Quantico, Va., for a week of leadership building at the United States Marine Corps Educator’s Workshop.

Despite several obstacles in their travel to Quantico that included flight delays, weather issues and lost luggage, Miracle and Bey shared some of their fondest memories from the trip.

Kamal Bey:

The Marine base in Quantico, Va., was one of the most entertaining and interesting places I've been to.

The Marines really worked their butts off to get us where we need to be when the situations seemed so dim, but besides the travel situations, the rest of the trip was very enjoyable.

Day one, Kayla Miracle and I slept in because of the journey to the hotel. When we arrived at the base we went right into obstacle courses that tested our abilities to retain information, lead, and use our creativity to accomplish the goals within a short period.  The experience was extremely fun, and I remember us both saying "I would've woken up early for that!" After the morning session we had lunch, although this is not important, they had the best ice cream sandwiches I've ever had.

Day two, we got to engage in my personal favorite combat training, boxing, pugil stick, and defensive techniques. Needless to say, in boxing I was sweet like Sugar Ray and in pugil stick, I was untouchable. I will admit, in defense technique, a lady made me tap because wrist and elbows aren't supposed to bend like that.

Later in the afternoon, we got to ride in the Osprey Gunner, which has been a dream of mine since I game and play Call of Duty! The scary part of it was when they started showing defensive maneuvers. I mean, they literally turned the plane sideways and dropped. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, but the plane is so loud, the guy next to me couldn't even hear me.

These are just some of the things I can remember off the top of my head. The Marines showed us a great time, but also showed the group of leaders what joining or enlisting in the Marines can offer.

Kayla Miracle:

We all think that we know what a Marine is, and so did I, until this trip. A Marine isn’t just a soldier serving by land, air and sea. They are much more than that. They are good and genuine people. They live to serve and I had the opportunity to see that first hand this week.

Travel:

The travel was not smooth. We took trains, planes, and automobiles to get to Quantico at 2 a.m., but the Marines did all that they could to help get us where we needed to be.

Day 1:

Kamal Bey and I had a late start to the day because of the travel fiasco, but when we got going we went straight to the base. We missed most the first activity but jumped right in the leadership reaction course. This is where you are in groups of 4-5 and have one designated leader for each obstacle. The leader is given the situation and they must effectively communicate the mission to the team and organize and execute a plan of attack. This taught us so much about ourselves and about our teammates.

The bulk of the remainder of the day was spent in different briefs about schools and programs that the Marines have to offer.

To finish off the day we went to the Sunset Parade in Arlington. This is something that the Marines do weekly, but it was such an amazing thing to watch. The band and the silent drill team were so talented. I could have sat there all night watching them perform.

Day 2:

Two words: Pugil sticks. If you don’t know what that is, just think of people fighting with giant Q-tips, and we got to do that! I had a blast in the martial arts area. Along with the pugil sticks, we got to work on some hand fighting techniques and some body sparring (boxing).

After our martial arts lessons and tour we got to ride in an Osprey! How many people get to do that in their life? It was such an amazing experience that I will never forget, being near it and hearing the intensity of the sound, getting to sit in it and watch another one fly behind us, and getting to go in and hit 200+ MPH while turning, dropping and jerking were all such overwhelming things that made for an unforgettable experience.

After a long day of activities a few of us decided to go up to D.C. and be tourists for a bit. I had never been there and had a great time touring the monuments and exploring the city.

Day 3:

The final day. Not only did we get to watch a squad do a mock patrol but we also had the chance to get in groups, gear up, and do one ourselves. We learned the hand signals, practiced the formations, and got to shoot our fake guns by saying “Bang. Bang. Bang” toward the enemy. And we even had the chance to eat an MRE (meal, ready-to-eat) in the field. Luckily, I got cheese tortellini, which I’ve been told is one of the better ones.

After getting all nasty and sweaty we went to the museum. And wow! If you have never been to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, you should make a trip. It was beautiful.  

Walking into this trip I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity. I learned so much about the group of men and women that are serving, and even better, I learned so much about the individuals. They were all very open in giving their stories about how and why they joined and answered any question thrown at them. Getting to know the Marines was great, but the group I got to experience the week with was the best possible. I truly feel that I made some lifelong connections with some people from all over the U.S. in all different universities.