Payson Roundup

A Tonto Apache teenager might soon be carrying on the tradition of Lori Piestewa.

Cassandra Delma-Cly, 17, says a week-long stay at Camp Pendleton in California sparked her interest in pursuing a military career. Her goal is to be ready for a possible career by next spring when she graduates from Fountain Hills High School.

Delma-Cly participated in the camp in June as a member of the Red Mountain High School Junior Reserved Officer Training Corp.

"I always wanted to be in ROTC, but my school, Fountain Hills, doesn't have one," she said. "So, my mom started calling schools to find (a high school) with ROTC."

After several inquires, Delma-Cly's mother was able to convince Red Mountain officials to allow her daughter to participate with the school's ROTC unit in the summer camp.

During the stay, the teenagers went through much of the same basic military training that a new recruit would undergo.

"We had water survival, rappelling, simulated aviation and had to do a lot of marching in formation," Delma-Cly said. "It was hard learning all of the commands and if we did something wrong, we had to do a lot of push ups."

The ROTC cadet toured a U.S. Naval base, lived in Camp Pendleton barracks and ate in the cafeteria alongside the Marines stationed there.

One of the lunches the cadets ate was the Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) that military personnel have when they are in the field on missions. "I didn't like those too much," Delma-Cly said.

The military experience has the teen considering transferring from Fountain Hills to Red Mountain where she can continue her ROTC training.

Delma-Cly attended Rim Country Middle School and Payson High School before moving to Fountain Hills following her freshman year.