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 46Our Boots Became Dusty With the Sand of Iwo Jima By YM/GySgt Kendra Base Eagle (CA) I have been in the Young Marines program for more than five years. I recently had the honor of traveling to Iwo Jima with several other Young Marines and Iwo Jima Conquerers. (As SgtMaj Iron Mike Murvosh would say). I have written this story in the frm of an interview, answer- ing a few questions. Describe three momentous highlights of the trip. It is difficult to state just one highlight of this incredible trip. The entiretrip was an adventure filled with history and emotion. I will list some treasured moments I had on the trip and would like to thank the men and women I met in Guam who serve our nation. The most memorable moment during this trip was helping Abraham Eutsy on the airplane. He uses an oxygen tank and his helper, Lucille, wasn’t onboard the flight to help. I read the manual and listened to her instructions on how to operate the device. On our flight, when I saw that there were no outlets on the flight, I quickly read the manual on how to operate the machine through the use of many batteries. The stewardesses were unable to be of much help. None of them understood how to help with an oxygen tank nor compre- hended who Mr. Eutsy is. It seemed as if they only saw him as an elderly man who had a helper. They didn’t announce him as a special guest over the intercom, as had been done on other flights. During the flight, I switched batteries and reacted to alerts indicating the battery was getting low. We made it safely to LAX and I was happy to have helped. When Division 6 Commander Wilson Lee and I had to leave, Mr. Eutsy asked for two hugs from me. It was such an emo- tional time and I couldn’t hold back the tears as we went our separate ways. Another memorable moment was talking to a man named George during breakfast in Guam. After saying good morn- ing to everyone at breakfast, I grabbed a plate and sat down. George walked to the table and stood behind me. He began to talk about his life to YMs Halverson, Ward, Jimenez and I. He talked about how he loves to cook and it is his stress-relief activity. After talking a bit about recipes, he spoke of how he started cooking when his wife was diagnosed with Alzheim- er’s Disease. He looked into the distance for a bit and then looked back at me. He said that the first year was the hard- est and after that it was a little easier. The memory brought tears to his eyes and it made me cry. He saw I began to cry, so he grabbed my shoulder and said,“Enjoy your breakfast”, then walked away.I cried when he left.These men lived very event- ful lives and it is so unfortunate that my generation is seldom taught to learn about their history. People enjoy sharing their knowledge and wisdom, and its the greatest history lesson ever to be able to sit and listen to their life stories, beliefs and experiences. The most monumental experience was walking on the is- land of Iwo Jima.I saw for myself what the men endured when they landed on the beach in 1945. Of course, I did not have to carry heavy bandoliers of ammunition, or dodge bullets and incoming mortar fire, but I felt similar temperatures, smelled some very foul sulfuric air and had many painful blisters on the soles of my feet. I never understood the strength I needed for this trip, physically and emotionally. Walking four miles and then up Mount Suribachi was difficult. Especially difficult was climbing the hills on the black sand beach. I had many blisters and sunburn from this trip, which I am very honored to have. What did the trip do for you as a person? I became a more attentive listener through this trip. I felt a need to talk more about it. When I returned home, I saw a WWII and Korean veteran riding in a motorized cart at my local grocery store. I stopped my shopping to ask him questions about where he served, what he learned. He was more than happy to share. He talked about his family and his brother and began to cry. At that point I thanked him for his service. I didn’t want him to get too emotional. I wished for him to have a better day and we split up down separate shopping aisles.Then he went into my cashier line and we talked some more, alongside my par- ents this time. I helped put his food on the counter because he was unable to stand up in his chair. Only after seeing me assist the veteran, a man in line behind all of us decided to jump in and help as well. There is some- thing to be said for the saying,“Be the Change.” When I show respect to our veterans, people notice and find themselves getting involved and helping. Another way that this trip changed me as a person is the importance of relying on a team. When I came home, I didn’t feel the same as when I left. I had no one to share the experi- ence with and no counselor at my school seemed to care or understood what history I had learned. I observed that people are very focused in their own personal lives and do for others only when there is a reward for them. Granted, I did have a few teachers who were curious like Mr. Dion (a retired USMC Sergeant) and Mr. Russell (the symphony orchestra conduc- tor). I learned that true dedication to one’s Nation or community is to give back and not expect a reward in return. My genera- tion can appear to be a selfish group who aren’t being taught the importance of a community as a whole.In orchestra,many of my conductors in my past have said,“We are only as strong as our worst player.” I took this to heart in music, but it can apply to everything we do. In our Young Marines weekly ac- tivities, encampments, SPACES, trips to National Code Talkers’ Day, Pearl Harbor, scholarships and leadership schools, we learn teamwork through games to emphasize the strength of a whole team. Young Marines does promote the idea of supporting your team members, and this trip showed that our weakest link is the definition of the strength of a group. Please tell a story about a veteran you spoke to. “ I feel like I might be putting some of this battle to sleep.It’s a relief,com- ing back.”-Sgt. Abraham Eutsey. This was a quote from Mr. Eutsey on a Marine Heroes Ins- tagram page. (Continued) 42 YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE