SgtMaj Kevin Bennett, USMC (Ret), is currently Director of Professional Devel- opment at the Marine Corps Association and Foundation. He enlisted into the United States Marine Corps in 1971 and retired in 2004 as the SgtMaj of Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico. He primarily served in the Infantry, but also served in training activities as a Ma- rine Officer Instructor at Hampton Uni- versity, as SgtMaj of The Basic School and SgtMaj of Officer Candidate’s School. He credits the Young Marines for setting him on the path to success and shares a short story from the earliest days of the Young Marines program: “This organization help shape who I would become in my short tour of duty as a Ma- rine, it was the 60’s, the birth of the civil rights movement, the beginning of Vietnam and not a lot of hope for a young African- American kid in Stamford, CT. The leaders of this program showed me a positive way with discipline, pride, and a sense of belonging, that set me apart from other recruits when I went to boot camp a few years later. I joined the Young Marine program I guess the 64-65 timeframe from Stamford, CT, our drill site was the Naval Reserve Training Center, on Magee Ave. We had our weekly meetings and drill on Friday evenings. We covered all the tradi- tional requirements of being a Marine from POA to manual of arms, rank structure, gen- eral orders, proper wear of the uniform. All taught under the watchful eyes of our own campaign cover wearing drill instructors. Our CO was a retired USMC LtCol, Carl Bat- tinelli, a WWII Marine with time on Guadal- canal/Okinawa. My most vivid memory of the organization was our unit field trip to Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath at the grave site of President Kennedy. We stayed in the hangars on cots, at Bolling Air Force Base, at night walk- ing fire watch around the hangar, guarding H-34 Sikorskys (or so we thought).” Col Bill Davis, Young Marines National Executive Director, writes: Semper Fi, SgtMaj Bennett, so glad to have you as an alumni and to share your story with the Young Marines of today! A Young Marines Alumni in the Spotlight: A Message from SgtMaj Kevin Bennett, USMC (Ret) at Bolling Air Force Base, at night walk ing fire watch around the hangar, guarding H-34 Sikorskys ( Col Bill Davis, Executive Director, writes: SgtMaj Bennett, so glad to have you as an alumni and to share your story with the Young Marines of today! “The leaders of this program showed me a positive way with discipline, pride and a sense of belonging, that set me apart from other recruits when I went to boot camp a few years later.” (Below): Snapshots from Stamford, CT, 1964. YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT 25