By YM/Cpl Dominic Cruz San Bernardino Valley (CA) I am YM/Cpl Cruz, 12 years old from the San Bernardino Valley (CA) Young Marines. I'm going to tell you about my great expe- riences with the War Dawgs Project. The times I have attended the different Military Bases in my area, such as Camp Pendleton, Twenty Nine Palms and March Air Force Base, we have done Color Guard, help set up tables, chairs and serve food. We have also been given tours of the dog kennels by some of Marine K-9 Handlers. It is awesome to go through the kennels because you get to see all of the dogs. Sometimes the K-9 Handlers even let their dogs out of the kennels and let you spend time with them. Sometimes at the end when everyone is done eating, the Marine dog handlers show us what the dogs can do on the ob- stacle course. The K-9 Handlers take their dogs to the obstacle course and the dogs have to run a set of obstacles such as jumping over the hurdles, going through tunnels and going over the A-frame. Another great thing my unit did was Col- or Guard at March Air Force Base. It is an honor doing Color Guard because you get to honor all of the current K-9 Handlers and also the ones that have passed away. Mr. Jon Hemp observes a special tradtition at all his memorials, serving food to the newest and the oldest K-9 Handlers first. They then serve food to the other Marines before everyone else gets to eat. It is an honor attending and also being able to do Color Guard. I would also like to thank Mr. Jon Hemp for starting this amazing pro- gram and continuing to do this every year to honor the K-9 Handlers. War Dawgs Project: Amazing Dogs and Their Handlers A Young Marine’s Remembrance of GySgt R. Lee Ermey By YM/Sgt Katelyn Houston General Raymond G. Davis Metro Atlanta (GA) GySgt R. Lee Ermey influenced my life. The first time I saw Gunny Ermey was in the movie “Full Metal Jacket”. His pres- ence in that movie put me in awe. His was the best portrayal of a Drill Instructor. He made jokes that make you laugh no matter how many times you’ve watched that movie.To this day, “Full Metal Jacket” is my favorite movie and he was one of the main reasons. I looked up to Gunny Ermey. I would always quote his lines from the movie and I would pretend to be him as a joke some- times. Once you see the movie, you’ll never forget him. When I learned that his lines in the movie were mostly improvised, I was impressed. Watching the movie was like being right there in the barracks with those men. Even though I never knew it, Gunny Ermey influenced my life greatly. How, you ask? Gunny Ermey, although he used hu- mor that seemed harsh to his recruits, motivated them to get through boot camp. He made them mentally able to handle the challenges they faced at Parris Island. This gave me hope. Hope that I can accomplish anything with self-discipline. Often, when I found myself in a demand- ing situation, I would hear his voice in the back of my head yelling at me like he did at Private Pyle.and other recruits.This allowed me to stick through the challenging times and stay strong.When I heard that this man had passed away, I thought somebody must be trying to make a joke. When I thought of Gunny Ermey, I thought of him as someone aho would live forever. When I had the chance to meet him, I found him to be the sweetest man. I was fangirling a lot and he was able to deal with me being a crazy fan. Howev- er, just meeting him for a few minutes, I could tell that he wanted good in life. I could just tell that this man changed the world. I was lucky enough to be able to meet him and I would’ve never been able to meet him if I wasn’t in the Young Marines program, which gave me the opportunity to meet my favorite movie actor and celebrity. I am one of the few lucky people who got to meet this amazing man. Gunny Ermey will not be forgotten for what he has done for our country and this world. You will be missed, Gunny Ermey. Semper Fidelis. YM/Sgt Houston and R. Lee Ermey. Marine Corps K-9 Handlers Know All About Running with the Big Dogs Young Marines Esprit ONLINE 19