By YM/Sgt Jordyn Webb Miami Valley (OH) In February, the Miami Valley Young Marines hosted an Na- tional Rifle Association Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program. The class was held at the Masonic Lodge in Huber Heights. Young people from preschool to fourth grade were in attendance, as well as some police oficers and Young Marines staff. YM/ MSgt Troy Murphy was the Young Marine in charge of this event. It began with the playing of a fun cartoon video for the kids with the safety message of “Stop, don’t touch,run away,tell a grown up”,advice if they ever found a gun. Eddie Eagle was highlighted in the video. After the video, activity booklets were distributed for the kids who divided according to their grades. They were given time to do a couple of activities. Once the activities were wrapped up, there was an opportunity for volunteers to come up and repeat the message from the video. We even had the mascot, Eddie Eagle, from the video, and the Young Marines’ Chester join the kids. At the end of the event. there was a visual presentation of some of the firearms the kids might encounter by the Mont- gomery County Sheriffs Office. We also had the opportunity to take our pictures with Eddie Eagle and Chester. In Miami Valley, Safety Lessons with Chester and Eddie MY YM UNIT By YM/Cpl Nicholas Waltrip Historic Elkridge (MD) Most people hear the words “commu- nity service” and think “uh-oh…” Most of the public associates community ser- vice with someone who got in trouble and is paying their debt back to the community. For myself and my fellow Young Marines, community service is something that we love to do. Whether it's volunteering for organizations like Honor Flight or cleaning up state parks littered with trash, we do it because it makes us feel good. Not only do we feel good, but the community gets to see that the Young Marines are outstanding citizens and ours is a great youth orga- nization. This last year my unit, Histor- ic Elkridge (MD) Young Marines were tasked by the Mary- land State Police to help with a K-9 Cemetery Clean up in Easton, MD. Our orders were to clear all brush and debris from an old K-9 cemetery that hadn’t been touched in more than fifty years. The Young Marines and Adult staff worked so hard on cutting trees and remov- ing brush. We even got to tear down an old chain link fence that was no longer service- able. Lieutenant Connolly who is the barrack command- er was so proud and happy that we were able to help out. He talked to us about how im- portant it was to clean up this cemetery, and how many troopers past and present appre- ciate our work. We learned to work as a team and rediscovered an amazing cemetery for fallen K-9 he- roes. When you do community service projects, it makes many people and organizations feel better about themselves. I encourage everyone to try to get involved with some sort of community service. You may be surprised how much you enjoy it. Community Service: You May Be Surprised How Much You Enjoy It