By YM/SgtMaj Anna Saucedo Temecula Valley (CA) With each passing moment,the reality of the situation occurred to me. I had the opportunity, the privilege, to speak with the very men who stood upon the Island of Iwo Jima in 1945.The past glowed from deep within their eyes and truth flowed with each breath. They spoke as if these events happened so recently,their memories so vivid. With each word they painted a picture of the past. Each veteran told a different story,came from a different background,was a different rank, and had a different job. Even with their countless unique differences, there was one promi- nent aspect that unified all of the veterans.All of them joined the mili- tary for one purpose: their country called and they answered. More often than not, veterans from every era and every branch have fantastic stories to tell, and knowledge to share. It is our responsibility and privilege as citizens to carry on the legacy of our nation’s veter- ans; to ensure their stories do not go untold and to let them know we are forever grateful for their sacrifice. Without someone to listen, the stories go untold, knowledge unshared. Thank a veteran for his or her service and be there to listen. [Editor’s Note: YM/SgtMaj Saucedo is Division 6 Young Marine of the Year]. Iwo Jima Veterans: Their Country Called, and They Answered YM/SgtsMaj James, Maurer, and Dorris listen to Iwo Jima Veteran George Catalona on their tour of Guam and Iwo Jima. By YM/Cpl Brian Relation Pikes Peak (CO) My Great Grandfather, USMC WWII Navajo Code Talker, Joe H. Kellwood, passed away at the Phoenix Veteran’s Hospital on Labor Day, September 5, 2016. My mother, brother, grand- mother and I drove to Phoe- nix on Thursday, September 1st to visit my Great Grand- father at the hospital. We did not know he would pass away 3 days later. During our visit with my Great Grandfather, my grandmother wore a Navajo Code Talker shirt given to her by Navajo Code Talker, Peter MacDonald, and his daughter, Hope MacDonald Lone Tree, he smiled and told my grandmother he liked that shirt. Then he asked my grandmother “am I still a Marine?” He had never asked that question before and without hesi- tation my grandmother leaned close to him and said “Daddy, once a Marine, always a Marine.” He smiled; he had remem- bered what that truly meant to him. We stayed with my Great Grandfather late that night.We received a call at 3:00 a.m. tell- ing us he was near death. My grandmother and mother went to the hospital but he had passed away. His legend as a Navajo Code Talker did not die with him; it will continue on for gen- erations to come. Through the Young Marines, I have attended two of the Navajo Code Talker Events in Window Rock, AZ and I plan to go every year. I want to shake the hand of every Navajo Code Talker and tell them my Great Grandfather says “Hello” (Yá’át’ééh). (Since I attended the Navajo Code Talker Event in August 2016, I am sad to say several Code Talk- ers have passed away). The 18th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Ronald L. Green, participated in the Navajo Code Talker Event and gifted my grandmother (who is a Pikes Peak Young Marines Staff Member) with a Marine Corps coin. As long as we have dedicated people coordinating the Navajo Code Talkers Events and the participation of the Young Marines, the true spirit of the Code Talkers will never die. The reason I am writing this article is to ask for your help in fulfilling a promise I made to my Great Grandfather when I became a Young Marine: “Spread the word, not just in this generation, but for generations to come”. So I need your help in spreading the word, but first take time to educate yourself. For information about our USMC WWII Na- vajo Code Talkers; please go (and encourage others) to go to: https: //navajocodetalkers.org website. Also read Chester Nez’ book (he is one of the original 29 and the only Navajo Code Talker who wrote a book). His book is entitled The Life and Times of the Code Talker. And please come to the Navajo Code Talkers Event in Window Rock, AZ in August. I would like to shake your hand. Please take time to shake hands with the Navajo Code Talkers and thank them (and their families) for their dedication and patriotism to our country. Also, visit with the families in the nearby booths who will be representing their Navajo Code Talkers who have passed away. Semper Fi,Great Grandfather,I will never forget you and what all the WWII USMC Navajo Code Talkers did for our Country. My Great Grandfather, Joe H. Kellwood, Navajo Code Talker YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT 13