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From our National Young Marine of the Year By YMSSgt Matthew Carr Columbus IN There is no doubt to anyone who has met Mr. Mike Kessler National Execu- tive Director of the Young Marines that he is an inspiration to Americas youth especially those in the program. The Young Marines is a national youth organization for boys and girls ages 8 through completion of high school. As a member of the program I can truly say it has turned my life around for the better by instilling in me the core principles of leadership team- work and discipline. Mike Kessler served as the leader of the organization and is regarded as the founder of the modernized Young Marines program. As the first ever National Executive Director he is charismatic and a man of character. I witnessed him in action at the Na- tional Encampment in the summer of 2014 at a recruit graduation and an unforgettable ceremony at the India- napolis War Memorial. Mike Kessler is respected for modernizing and ad- vancing the already successful Young Marine program. Kessler has said that he is extremely proud of the recogni- tion the Young Marines received from the Department of Defense in receiv- ing five Fulcrum Shield Awards for ex- cellence in youth anti-drug education the most recent in 2015. Kessler is re- sponsible for the programs reputation in drug demand reduction efforts. He is also pleased with the role the Young Marines have taken as the lead- er in youth recognition of Americas veterans. Under Kesslers guidance and leadership the Young Marines have become active in the Pearl Harbor Re- membrance Day in Hawaii National Memorial Day events and Veterans Day and week each November. Under the guidance of Mr. Kessler the first of the annual trips to Iwo Jima escorting WWII veterans began in 2004. Not only was he furthering the success for the programs members in only his first year as director he grew the program into more than 200 units in 38 states. Under Mike Kesslers leadership the Young Marines have created an online database gained a celebrity spokesperson and earned the Sec- retary of Defenses Fulcrum Shield award five times. Because of Mr. Kes- sler the Young Marines program has grown to what it is today and shaped me to be the young leader I am. A Young Marines Appreciation of Mike Kesslers Years of Leadership Because of Mr. Kessler the Young Marines program has grown to what it is today and shaped me to be the young leader I am. -- YM SSgt Matthew Carr ESPRIT Page 3 By YMSgtMaj Lucas Ward 2015 National Young Marine of the Year Greetings to all Young Marines alumni and adult staff alike. It is my pleasure and honor to introduce myself to all of you as your next National Young Marine of the Year. With my first article I want to open the table to input from all of you as to what direction you think this amazing program should take. You may have read my bio before - where I come from what I like to do but what that doesnt say is how I feel about this program. In my eyesthere is no better program for youth than the Young Marines and it is only going to keep getting better. One of the foremost things to be conscious of in my mind is to never settle. Holding the position I now do it would be easy to sit back and sayOk I win Im done now but this is not the proper thing to do. What I would like to do is continue challenging both myself and those that look to me as a leader to be better and to bet- ter others to the best of our ability. It is easy and sometimes necessary to get political in my new position but my biggest focus is to stay humble. I like to focus on the program from the bottom up. The adult staff and even the Young Marines in leadership positions are only as good as the young people we represent. In my experience I think I have learned just as much from the Young Marines in my charge as they have from me and I want to keep that trend going. The Young Marines program is unique because not only is it a program for the youth but it is also run by the youth. It teaches us how to lead and then puts that to the test. From the highest ranking Sergeant Majors to the newest Privates this program relies on its members to keep functioning. This is why I want to be able to get ideas from all the mem- bers of this program. Each and every one of us has had unique experiences with the program and each of us loves it for our own reasons. For some it is a safe haven a place to get away from everything and enjoy time with friends. For others it is a challenge to always achieve bigger better things. Everyone has their own ideas and we each know what we would like to see done to better and improve the program. It can be easy to look around the program and see possible improvements but the hard part is actually making those improvements happen. Some may feel like they dont know where to start. I would like to encourage anyone and every- one to contact me with any ideas. The program is what it is because of all its members and it should be its members who improve it and have a say in the direction we go. While I have my own ideas and plans I want nothing more than to do what all of you think needs done. To all Young Ma- rines and adultsplease do not hesitate to contact me through our website with ideas questions or concerns. Thank you.