Devil Pup goes from training in Sunset Park to Scotland

Joey is 15.

He spent a week in Washington, D.C., between fifth and sixth grade participating in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference. He has attended Calvary Chapel Christian School since kindergarten and was on a mission in Mexico when a friend told him about the Devil Pups.

Devil Pups start out in a three-month leadership training program led by Southern Nevada Devil Pups liaison Marie Tomao. The program helps teens 14 to 17 develop the responsibility and self-confidence they’ll need to face the physical test they must pass to advance to a regional training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California.

Joey’s work stood out during local training in Sunset Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road.

"I’ve worked with a lot of great kids over the years, but Schultz is special," Tomao said. "He can do anything he puts his mind to."

At last year’s graduation ceremony, held at the Leatherneck Club, 4360 W. Spring Mountain Road, Joey recounted his tales of the program, along with how he got past the mental and physical challenges.

"I just remembered Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me,’ and that got me through it," he said. "It was a great time, and I really learned how to step up and be a leader."

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Col. Ray Blum, the Devil Pups’ encampment commander, attended that ceremony and liked what he saw in Joey. The young man was initially tapped to be an Eagle, a name given to Devil Pup alumni who help train the next batch of prospective pups. Blum invited him to participate in a recent addition to the program, an exchange between the Devil Pups and the British Army Cadet Force.

The program is similar to the Devil Pups, with young people taking on challenges to test their mettle and learn leadership. It differs by being more military-oriented.

"What’s interesting about the Army Cadet Force is that every single detachment is actually a detachment in the British Army," Joey said. "It was kind of cool that I was wearing the uniform that the British Army wears now."

As part of Joey’s training, he was issued an L98A2 general-purpose rifle. He spent a day with a group of cadets working with a training safety adviser. The adviser drilled them and showed them the ins and outs of the weapon, culminating in a test where each cadet was brought into a room and put through paces with the rifle.

"You have to pick it up, safety on, then open the breach, check inside, ease the spring, and so on," Joey said. "As soon as you messed up anything he’d scream, ‘Stop! Get Out!’ And you had to leave and then come back and keep repeating that until you got everything right."

Joey’s mother, Kathy Schultz, said letting her son leave was a challenge.

"I put him on a plane not even knowing who was going to meet him on the other side," she said. "It was a little jarring for me, but I trusted his instincts. We went over what he’d do if there were problems, and I knew he knew how to handle it."

Joey went to Britain in July and met with a foster family whose son was also in the Army Cadet Force. He had a week to do some sight seeing, visiting cultural icons and museums, including military museums and historic castles. He and three other cadets spent a day touring London with Col. Andrew Cassidy, commandant of the Army Cadet Force’s Angus & Dundee Battalion. Joey described Cassidy as "an older man with the heart of a lion."

"Even though it was July, it was cold most of the time," Joey said. "We went to a beach and the water was ice-cold and the shore was rocky. I probably saw the sun three times while I was out there."

When he arrived at Altcar Training Camp near Liverpool, England, it was obvious to Joey that even though he was well-trained and disciplined, he was not familiar with the ways of the Army Cadet Force.

"When we got off the bus, they all started polishing their boots," Joey said. "I didn’t have any idea. I didn’t even have boot polish. The other cadets helped me, lent me boot polish and showed me what to do. They really helped me out. It reminded me that iron sharpens iron."

There was some consideration of putting Joey in the Challenger Company, a group made up of first-timers and kids 10 to 14. When organizers discovered he had served as an Eagle, they made him a sergeant and later a lieutenant and put him with a group that was not only participating in exercises but also planning them.

"Every day after muster parade the planning committee would meet, and we (would) sort out how we were going to achieve the tasks assigned to the company," Joey said. "We had to do risk assessment and plan special exercises."

Joey didn’t take his rank lightly. Each day when the company alarm rang, he had already been up for an hour, taking care of cleaning, dressing and preparation. When his company arose he was dressed in his uniform, wide awake, barking orders and maintaining military discipline.

"You have to learn to be a transformational leader," he said. "You can’t just act like it’s a monarchy. You have to lead by example."

Joey and his fellow officers guided their charges through programs such as a round robin camouflage and concealment course in which the company was split in three with some working on a first-aid course, others on a 3-D model and others in a camouflage exercise they called Observation Alley.

"The Observation Alley was great," Joey said. "We’d show them how to apply camo and how to stuff grass in their webbing to break up the silhouette. Then while several of us stood on hills above them, they had to try to slip through the tall grass without being observed."

Joey had never been overseas before, and he returned to Las Vegas with a more global perspective and a slew of new skills.

He’s not resting on his laurels. He’s on the school football team, and he’s in a program where academically accelerated students train with iPads. Next summer, he plans to attend an immersive language program in Mexico.

"He’s pretty diverse. He’s really open to new challenges," Kathy Schultz said. "The kid is fearless. I just love that. We’re really proud of how he handled himself over there."

As for Joey, he’s just looking for the next challenge.

"I told Col. Blum that if anything else comes up – Germany, Thailand, whatever it is – I’m your man," he said. "Send me. If nothing else, I’ll be back as an Eagle next year. But if a window opens up, I’ll go through it."

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.