Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46By YM/LCpl Megan Tran Antelope Valley (CA) Du Hai Tran could not stop smiling when his daughter was born. He care- fully cradled baby Michelle, afraid of squeezing her too tight. He hoped that she would not grow up to have his bow- legged walk. He hoped his daughter would remember him when he went to Iraq. Seven days after his daughter was born, he went on his second tour. It was the last straw for his sister, said Jade Tran, his sister. He signed up for the military.“He had no direction,” Jade said. “He felt like he had no choice other than the military.” said his younger brother. Tran was assigned to the Fires Squad- ron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Vil- sack, Germany. He liked the guys in his Army unit.They played pranks on one another.After Tran’s first tour, his father and his sister urged him to leave the military and return home, but he always said no. He said he enjoyed the military, the guys were like his brothers.“It became a family to him,” said his younger brother,Chris.Through phone calls and visits,, Tran and his father called twice a week and on Fathers’ Day. Tran served in Iraq. When his father looks at pictures of him, he beams. “I was so proud that I was the first generation in America, and that I had a son who was fighting for freedom and protecting America”. On the afternoon of June 19, Tran called home and told his wife he was going on pa- trol.He promised he would call her that night. Hours later, he was killed when an impro- vised explosive device detonated near him in Baqubah, northeast of Baghdad. A Staff Sergeant, Tran was thirty years old. Du Hai Tran was buried an San Fernando Mission Cemetery. U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Du Hai Tran is my beloved uncle. He is my mother’s oldest brother.He had served in the U.S.Army for ten years. He had sacrificed his life for our freedom and to protect the United States against terrorism. His wife, daughter, father, sister, and brother will miss him dearly. He will always be in our minds and hearts. My Beloved Uncle: A Story of Sacrifice for Freedom By YM/LCpl Cameron Hunt Lapeer County (MI) I will never forget Memo- rial Day weekend 2016. It was a especially busy week- end in Washington, DC, and Arlington National Cemetery. Veterans and Civilians came from all over to pay their re- spects to those who paid the ultimate price for their coun- try. Veterans had a common bond. All been in a war, and understood the pain of losing someone in their unit, or that of a family member.A veteran has served our country. and taken the oath to become a solider. Looking across the rows of head stones, I thought of all of those before me and what I was about to do. I was given the honor to place the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, along with three other classmates from Davison Middle School. I was with my school, but I was allowed to wear my Young Marines uniform. While there I had the opportunity to meet the Honor Guards at their quarters for directions. The guards were amazing and trained to be the best. Stationed in all types of weather, they never leave their post. There were hundreds of people there, yet it was so quiet. The only time you heard anything was when the Honor Guard made the an- nouncement of wreaths about to be placed or the sounds of birds. The Honor Guard were prepared for everything, they were courteous and explained ev- erything they wanted us to do in detail. The Guard who walked down the stairs with us gave us our instructions on what we were about to do. The feelings at Arlington were very strong and somber. Before coming down the stairs,one of the Guards announcemed that anyone who is in uniform is allowed to do a military salute, everyone else was asked to do a civilian salute, placing their right hand over their heart when told to salute. As we came down the steps, I stayed extreme- ly focused on what I was about to do, although there were hundreds of people around me. We stood at the base of the steps, then the Guard who walked down the steps with us took hold of the wreath to turn over to me.Along with one of my classmates, I walked forward to place the wreath.After placing the wreath, we returned to stand with the Honor Guard.The command to present arms was spoken. Then there was a silence in the air as Taps were played. This was a day I will never forget. Memorial Day 2016 at Arlington National Cemetery YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 19