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 46The Perfect PFT: Prepare, and You Can Accomplish It! By YM/Pvt Lucas Smith Parris Island (SC) As Young Marines, you have taken the PFT or Physical Fitness Test. But have you earned the Perfect PFT? I was the first Parris Island Young Marine to earn the Perfect PFT. Since I completed recruit training in October 2015, I earned a 1st class PFT with a high score. I was motivated by my unit’s Executive Officer, who told me that it was easier to earn the Perfect PFT when you are younger because it gets more difficult as you get older. So I decided that before my 10th birthday, I would work to earn a Perfect PFT. My birthday was only 3 months away. To do that, I needed to train and practice. It was not easy. First, I needed to know the perfect scores that I needed. There are 5 events, curl-ups, V- sit, shuttle run, mile run, and flexed arm hand (or pull ups). I already had 100 points for the flexed-arm hang with 1 min, 36 secs. I still worked on pull ups in my house with a pull up bar. I needed one more sit up (which doesn’t seem difficult, but it was). So I practiced timed sit ups every night. Twice a week, I worked with a yoga video for flexibility and I stretched my legs. I wrestle, too, and wrestlers do a lot of stretching.At school we had a mile run club where I would practice my run time. I also practiced the shuttle run each week.You can get a better PFT score by practicing. If you want to earn the perfect PFT, you have to focus on your training. You can earn the Perfect PFT, too! Left: Lucas Smith on the track. By YM/SgtMaj Brian Fagan Blackstone Valley (MA) In the United States we have what we call the American Values. It is a list of traits and values that describes what the American people are all about. One such trait is volunteerism, volun- teerism is what I believe to be the most basic but most important trait. Many young people across America have an underlying need to volunteer. Some vol- unteer through charities, but I would say most volunteer through military service. We are fortunate enough that in our coun- try, our military is 100 percent volunteer. But what happens to our service men and women after their service to our country? They often come home and continue to volunteer and serve through a few differ- ent means. There are some who start or join charities that benefit veterans. But many become public servants, like police officers or fire fighters. In fact, the Young Marines program has many of those first responders as registered adult staff. In my regiment, we have a unit whose staff is full of law enforce- ment officers. Many these adults voluntarily joined the mili- tary, they voluntarily joined law enforcement and now give up their Sunday evenings to again help the Young Marines in their unit. I am lucky enough to know these adults and also to be able to observe what it truly means to serve your community.In my own unit, we have an adult who served in the Marine Corps and is now a detective in a local police department and is also assigned to SWAT duty. He often works nights at a local stadium because of concerts and football games. He has very little free time due to the na- ture of his job,but he always takes time to volunteer with the Young Marines. There are countless people in situations like this throughout the Young Marines. We are truly blessed that we have adults in our program who are so community and service oriented that even though they have been serving for years, they take the time to instill in us the Young Marines the same service-oriented traits so we may do the same to the next generation of Young Marines and more broadly, America. Although first responders may not face the exact same dangers that the military face, they still are in harm’s way. Instead of engaging in a firefight, fire fighters may be running into a building on fire to save a total stranger. First responders are de- serving of our respect and admiration for what they do to keep us all safe. I issue a challenge for everyone reading this: For the next month, every time you meet a first responder (whether that be a fire fighter, a police officer, or a paramed- ic), thank them for everything they do for us. As an unnamed Navy Seal stated,“Thank you for protecting our families while we are away from them, protecting our country”. Editor’s Note: YM SgtMaj Brian Fagan was 2015 Division 1 Young Marine of the Year American Values: Volunteers Who Continue Serving Us Volunteerism is what I believe to be the most basic, but most important trait. YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 25