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On a typical Saturday morning, 15-year-old Anthony Burgess would probably be asleep after staying up late the night before.

This week, however, Army Cadet Pvt. Anthony Burgess was up early and eager to train like a Soldier.

"I get a kick out of this, I think it's fun," the Richmond, Va., resident said. "I think it's good I'm out doing something."

Anthony was among 13 members of the Army Cadets of the National Capital Region who spent the weekend training at Fort Meade, learning skills such as radio communication, road marches and ethical leadership.

Despite frigid temperatures and ice on the ground, participants traveled from as far as Philadelphia and Richmond, Va., to march through the installation and sleep in tents at the Fort Meade campgrounds during the two-day drill.

The co-ed group has conducted its monthly drill at Fort Meade for almost a year since leaving the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in February 2011.

"We are an Army unit; we need to be on an Army post for the kids to see what Army life would be like," said Army Cadet 1st Lt. Paul Cutter, commander of the Army Cadets of the National Capital Region. "We couldn't ask for a better facility here."

The Army Cadets of the National Capital Region is the local subordinate of the U.S. Army Cadet Corps, which is the oldest and longest-serving nationwide cadet organization in the country. Founded in 1909, the organization gives boys and girls, ages 12-17, an insight into military life during monthly drills and summer training at the National Cadet Training Center in Millersburg, Ky.

"This program is for kids who might be interested in the military," Cutter said. "This program is designed to give them information about the military, give them a taste of what a life of a Soldier would be like. Then when they get ready to make the decision in high school, they'll have the knowledge base. They won't be just walking to a recruiter and not know anything about it. They'll have a little bit of an understanding of what they're getting into."

Cutter, a former Air Force master sergeant who retired in 2006, said that when he enlisted, he didn't know what he was walking into. But this program allows the cadets to get an idea of the military before joining, and they learn skills for success.

Several of the cadets said they have aspirations of joining the military and signed up for the Cadet Corps to better understand the lifestyle.

"I plan to eventually go into the military," Anthony said. "And this is a head start to learn what it could actually be like and start to get used to it."

Cadet Pvt. Luke Fleck, who plans on joining the Marines, joined the program two years ago.

"I wanted to be part of the Army Cadets because I plan on a military future and I wanted a head start before I got out of high school," the 15-year-old Germantown resident said.

During the monthly drills, cadets learn a variety of military skills that lead up to a large exercise at the end of the year. Each month, cadets learn new skills that will eventually be combined in the field training exercise.

While the cadets are instructed by drill sergeants and service members, the program itself is cadet-run. Senior cadets with more experience eventually take leadership roles and help instruct courses.

"As adults we're here to make sure they're making good decisions and it's safe, but they the drive the program," Cutter said.

During drills, cadets learn leadership, discipline, responsibility and group dynamics that will benefit them whether they go into the military or not, Cutter said.

"We are very disciplined," Luke said. "You can't do something without any consequences."

In addition to the skill-learning exercises, cadets also partake in some form of daily physical fitness during the drills. The physical training is conducted for an hour every day and can be anything from a soccer game to a physical fitness test.

Anthony said the physical fitness aspect of the drills is his favorite part of the program.

"I love the fact that you're feeling like you're getting stronger and stronger," he said.

While more than half of the teens in the Cadet Corps go into a service-related program such as the military or police, Cutter said the program is beneficial even to those who pursue other careers.

"We aren't trying to build little warriors -- we're trying to give them an experience of what military life would be," he said. "We're just looking at building good citizens."

Editor's note: For more information about the Army Cadets of the National Capital Region, email armycadetsncr@gmail.com or visit www.armycadetsncr.org.