STRAFFORD, N.H. (AP) – Seventeen-year-old Heather Punch received her M-16 rifle on Saturday.

She carried it into the New Hampshire National Guard classroom where she would learn to take it apart and put it back together again.

“Study! Study! Study!” exhorted drill Sgt. George Paul, who had 10 recruits pouring over their instruction manuals. This was their second weekend of National Guard training.

Punch and her classmates were among 60 recruits who took the oath of enlistment on Saturday. Gov. Craig Benson read them their oath and encouraged them to “go out and make a difference.”

But first, they have to get through the training.

“Who cut your hair?” Paul demanded of one recruit whose buzz cut was stylishly shaped on top. “It’s a phat haircut,” he said, using the slang for hip or cool. “It’s unauthorized.”

Punch’s hair also was improper – her ponytail spilled hair onto her neck. Paul ordered her to find a female medic to show her how to do it right.

The drill sergeants act tough, but they’re pretty nice when you get to know them, said Kathryn Welch, 20, who is in her third weekend of training.

“Most of my family has been in some sort of military and I just felt it was my turn to do it,” she said. Her father is stationed in Iraq with the National Guard. Welch, a Plymouth State student, leaves for basic training on May 27.

Once she completes nine weeks of basic training, she’ll train in a specialty. At any time after that, she could be mobilized and sent to Iraq.

“The thought’s never far from my mind,” said Amy Pike, 17, who was attending her first weekend of training. “If I’m called to do it, I’ll do it.”

Nick DiSalvo, 17, of Litchfield, said he’s enjoyed his National Guard training so much he’s thinking of going into active duty. “I like the structure,” he said. “I like the support.” He’s headed for basic training in November, he said.

Justin Dupuis, 18, joined the National Guard in December. His half brother and two cousins are serving in Iraq. Dupuis is from North Berwick, Maine, but joined the New Hampshire National Guard because he’d be able to train as a refueler, refueling jets and Black Hawk helicopters.

“I’m like a motor head,” he said. “I like anything with engines. I don’t mind smelling like gas,” he said.

Like many of the recruits, he was not put off by recent events in Iraq, where Iraqi prisoners were beaten and humiliated.

“It’s disrespect to the uniform,” he said of the soldiers responsible.

Sgt. 1st Class Mike Daigle said few of them see the abuse as a reflection on all soldiers, just a reflection on a few individuals.

“This is a career where honor is a part of your job every day and people who don’t have it shame themselves, not us,” he said.

“I would never see myself in that situation,” said Ashley Colonel, 17. She joined 11 months ago, and was disappointed when her unit deployed to Iraq, and she couldn’t go along. She leaves on June 17 for basic training. From there she’ll go to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where she hopes to become an officer.

“I already get dropped for push-ups because of my name, so I want to drop people,” she said, laughing.

Lt. Col. Angela Maxner, who’s in charge of recruitment and retention, said the National Guard has received a record number of calls in the last two months. She’s also seeing a growing number of high school students sign on.

Eric Marro, 43, was one of the few older faces in the group on Saturday. He served in the Marines 20 years ago but joined the New Hampshire National Guard because he was tired of “seeing Americans come home in coffins,” he said.

His five years in the Marines include time in Africa and the Middle East.

“I just felt I had something to contribute to a reserve unit,” he said. He’d be remiss, he said, if he didn’t offer his knowledge and experience to help save lives in Iraq.

AP-ES-05-15-04 1451EDT