By YM/GySgt Megan Lynch Southeast County (CA) National Kick Butts Day is an inspiring event,where many schools and youth or- ganizations do their best to spread the word of the dangers of cigarettes, eciga- rettes and smoking. Southeast County Young Marines hosted a fun activity to bring awareness to this event. As a unit, we researched facts about smoking and made posters to illustrate its dangers.Some very artistic Young Ma- rines in our unit sketched many amaz- ing drawings on posters using bright, eye-catching colors. The whole unit par- ticipated in coloring and adding touches that made these posters outstanding! In effort to reach new people with this “dangers of smoking” message, we used these posters in a presentation at our recruit orientation. We honored the Kick Butts Day cause and expressed the im- portance of Drug Demand Reduction in the Young Marines program to a large group of families who may not have known how important this work is across the nation. Five of our very motivated Young Ma- rines spoke about the meaning of Kick Butts Day. They explained the work our unit put into the project, how we re- searched the facts, shared how smoking affects society, and gave a presentation with the serious tone that is appropriate for Kick Butts Day. LCpl Laghaei,one of the presenters,said he loved seeing how interested both the parents and the kids were in what they had to say. He felt as if he learned a lot through this project. This project was really fun. We worked together to create something with a very important message. My unit spent time sharing our knowledge and reasons why we, as Young Marines, will never smoke. Without our DDR coordinator,Mrs.Gam- ble Yeung, we would not have known about this event, nor reached a group of families who have never heard of Kick Butts Day. Kick Butts Day was an inspir- ing, fun and educational experience for our unit, it was an event well worth the time and enjoyable moments. For National Kick Butts Day - Let’s Give Cigarettes the Boot! Posters warn of the dangers of smoking . By YM/MGySgt Lauren Loria Col. Wesley Fox (VA) Honor Flights is an organization that pro- vides a trip to D.C. to World War II veter- ans who have never seen their memorial. It started out as for WWII veterans only but has now started including Korean veterans. I was first involved with this organization by providing the color guard during their ceremony at the WWII memorial. The veterans were very appreciative and loved coming over to talk to the mem- bers of the guard. We were invited to the screening of the Honor Flights Documen- tary,“Honor Flight” , a very moving account of how the organization started and how it affect- ed the veterans who have attended. After that, my mother started volunteering as a guardian, who would push around a veteran for the day and make sure they were getting everything they needed. People under 18, like me, were greeters for when the veterans got off of the plane and when they got back on. Their smiling faces showed excitement in the morning, and in the evening they reflected all of the joy they felt for having gone. I would recommend volunteer- ing in any way that you can because it really does make these veterans’ feel young again. Volunteering for Honor Flights: A Rewarding Experience A Young Marine Who’s Proud of His Supportive Community By YM/MGySgt Caleb Proctor Treasure Valley (ID) I am from Kuna, ID, a town with a popu- lation of around 16,000. In November of 2013 in the 4A state football playoffs, a Senior fell and hit his head on another football player’s leg, causing him to break three vertebrae in his spine. Para- lyzed from the neck down, four years later he has only gained back 40% of his movement. In December of 2013 the Town of Kuna suffered a tragic accident that took the life of a 13 year old boy the Monday be- fore the district wrestling tournament. Three more children were injured as well. The wrestling team was compet- ing for their 33rd straight district title. Mourning these tragic losses, the team scored a record amount of points, secur- ing its 33rd straight title. A year later a high school senior ex- perienced a severe allergic reaction and spent the rest of his senior year in the Hospital in and out of comas. He was brought back to health and is living his life in the community. After all this time, the father of the 13 year old boy started the Kuna Hero Trio or KH3. This organization has helped raise thousands of dollars for the families of these young people and has brought the community together as a whole. Kuna, Idaho is one big family and support so many at anytime. The volunteers to this organization have worked hard and spent hours helping the community with nothing to ask for in return. I am proud to live in Kuna and I always know that I have 16,000 people ready to support me. YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT 21