NEW YORK -- "Marines have a special way of greeting each other," explained Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey Green, from 6th Communication Battalion in Brooklyn N.Y. "And since you all are Marines for the day, I'm going to teach you how to greet each other like Marines."
A roomful of 10-year-old kids looked intently back at the muscled Marine that stood in front of them.
"We say oo-rah," Green barked. "When I count down from three, I want you all to say oo-rah."
"Three...two," said Green. He paused for effect. "One!"
"Ooooraahhhhhhhh!" Every single kid in the room screamed as loud as they could. "Ahh, you guys are motivated," said Green with a chuckle. "Good to go."
The nine and 10-year-old kids in the room were participants in "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day" at Deloitte & Touche USA, LLP. The company hosted more than 900 children at different offices across the country for the day. Marines from New York City took part in the day at the firm's World Financial Center office.
"Our goal is to encourage these children to believe that any career goal is within their reach," said James H. Quigley, Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte & Touche USA, LLP. The company brought in kids ages nine to 15 into the office for a day of career activities. The Marines presented what kind of jobs the Corps had to offer, and what it's like to be a Marine.
"I can't tell you how many parents have talked about what a positive influence the Marine Corps presentation had on their children," said Joseph Delaney, one of the firm's Directors. He said the Corps fit perfectly into the career presentations.
"One of the challenges we had was to find presentations to interest and motivate the children," he said. "The Marines did exactly that, and they did it so professionally," he added. "The children loved it."
The Marines talked about different careers in the Corps, the fun parts about being a Marine, and the importance of education. "Your most important muscle is your brain," said Gunnery Sgt. Cedric Belcher, 6th Comm. "You need to do the best you can in school right now, so you can do anything you want."
His advice worked well with Deloitte's plan. "What we wanted to enforce in the children' minds was the importance of education, professionalism, and career," said Delaney. "All of those points were touched on by the Marines."
After each presentation, the kids flocked to the Marines like they were celebrities. That proved their success to Delaney.
"They were great," he said. "It almost brought a tear to my eyes when I saw those kids ask for their autographs."