Story and photos by Laura Berry, Massachusetts National Guard Public Affairs
SPENCER, Mass. — More than 40 military-connected youth, aged 9-15, attended the 2025 Massachusetts National Guard Child and Youth Summer Overnight Program at Camp Marshall during two separate weeks of July 2025. The program is held in a traditional camp setting where the campers do activities like fishing, swimming in the lake, boating, survival skills, archery, paintball, and arts and crafts.
“They really make and form connections each summer with friends who share that same experience in the military life,” said Julia Dennis, MANG Lead Child and Youth Program Coordinator.
Each year during camp week, Massachusetts National Guard’s Child and Youth Services hosts two Military Appreciation Days, one for each camp week, so the kids can experience some of the things their military family members might experience while on duty. Members of the Massachusetts Army National Guard and 4H, a youth development organization, provided military exhibits to interact with.
“The kids always love to see the vehicles,” said Dennis. “They loved to see 4H and make the dog tags and the different activities. We had a robot today, which was amazing. Trying MREs are always a huge hit.”
Members of the 1st Civil Support Team brought their specialized vehicle full of the gear they would use in surveillance or when reacting to an emergency situation.
“This is an opportunity for the CST to be able to show anybody but specifically these young kids about the CST,” said Capt. Wayne Owens, of the 1st CST. “We have some half suits, we have a level A suit that we wear when we go downrange to surveil in a close environment. We gave them the opportunity to put it on and see what its like. Someone asked questions about how we’re structured, about how we operate, who we support. Of course, we brought the robot out as well, which has been a big hit.”
Sgt. Theophane Beuvelet, a survey technician and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Specialist of the 1st CST was at Military Appreciation Day to demonstrate the CST’s MTRS Robot, which is part of their reconnaissance platform. The MTRS, or the Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II, is relatively new equipment for the CST. It replaced their previous robot, Talon 2. These robots are useful because they can send the robot out to the threat while risk assessments are being determined for the team.
“I gave the kids the opportunity to move the arm around and try to pick up some water bottles,” said Beuvelet. “The computer is how we control it. Everything is being transmitted from the radio. There are cameras and a little avatar that shows the position of the robot.”
Spc. Megan Crossin, of Holden, Mass., and the 125th Quartermaster Company, volunteered to help out with the camp.
“I love the National Guard and working with kids, and I love being able to share what I do for the state and the country,” she said.
She brought some OCPs (Occupational Camouflage Pattern Uniforms), a helmet, and a rucksack to let the kids try on.
“They got to be a bobblehead a little bit, they really enjoyed it,” said Crossin. “They asked me about the ranks and the different people here and how it all works. Since I was here for camp all week, I got to know some of the kids so they felt comfortable asking me questions.”
Because it was a rainy day, they set up the Military Appreciation Day activities under the camp’s ramada.
“It didn’t put a damper on the day,” said Dennis. “The kids were still able to come over, see everything. Obviously sunny would be better, but it was still just as amazing.”
The campers are integrated into the traditional week-long camp, but they also break out from the traditional campers and go to military classes three times a week.
“There’s a survival day, where we had Soldiers lead a life skills activity with the kids. We had community partners like the Red Cross come. We had the Semnani Foundation come and do resiliency with the kids, and we also have team building,” said Dennis. “They really do make that further connection with their cabin mates, which are also military connected, and they get to meet some additional friends.”
Planning a camp like this for the military kids requires lots of coordination, such as contracting with the camp, reserving cabins, organizing activities, scheduling times with the community partners, preparing for Military Appreciation Day, and more.
“All those moving pieces involve different levels of coordination and talking with the people to make sure everything is as safe and amazing as it can be for our campers,” said Dennis.
Throughout the week, Dennis helped lead military class sessions, ensured all activities were going well, and all campers were safe and having fun.
“If anyone is experiencing homesickness, I am here the whole week so we can really provide that extra level of support for any kid,” she said.
For some of the kids, it was their first time being away from home for an extended period of time.
Many of the campers return every summer. This particular program has partnered with the camp for many years.
“The response from the kiddos is always very, very positive,” said Dennis. “When kids leave camp, they have those fond memories they hold close to their heart, and they have peers that they connect with every single year. We get new people every year, but we constantly get returners for a reason. It’s because they have such a great experience with the activities and with the program.”
