The Miramar (CA) Young Marines take DDR to heart! Little is as important as the safety and welfare of our Young Marines. With the legalization of marijuana oc- curring across the states and prescrip- tion drug abuse on the rise, the Young Marines’ Drug Demand Reduction mes- sage is more vital than ever. I am proud to say the Miramar Young Marines take this message to heart. Our Senior Young Marines require all unit members complete Project Alert, and starting more than two years ago, they have made completion of Project Alert part of our recruit training. They also mentor our junior Young Marines,encouraging them to complete their own DDR classes with PowerPoint presenta- tions they create and share with the unit. They naturally participate in Red Ribbon Week but also have a "Community Impact Challenge" encouraging Young Marines to spread the DDR message throughout the community all year by providing Red Ribbons to libraries to use as book markers, passing out Red Ribbons in their schools, churches, summer programs and to their sports teams. Their next endeavor is for all unit members to earn their Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) device for their DDR ribbon. I am proud to say Miramar young Ma- rines recently received DEA devices for five more of our Young Marines (a spe- cial thanks to Joseph Lusignan, Deputy Director West, whose dedication to the Young Marines and the DDR program is so valuable. His day to day work behind the scenes is greatly appreciated). -- Submitted by Bret A. Righthouse, Unit Commander, Miramar (CA) Young Marines By YM/Cpl Ethan Ladue Upstate (SC) We hear a lot in Drug Demand Reduction classes about different drugs and the effects these drugs have on our bodies. However, one of the drugs many people often take less seri- ously is alcohol. Underage drinking is a danger that has de- stroyed countless lives. It is the most common form of drug abused, because it is so readily available. I share this story with you in hopes that it will stop someone from drinking and even worse - driving under the influence. My family has lost a very close friend and it has been a struggle this past month. I watched as his family and friends said goodbye to a great guy. It was a loss that could have been prevented, a tragic loss of a young life cut short. Our family friend made a fatal decision one night. That de- cision included drinking and riding in a vehicle with an in- toxicated driver. That night, there was a one vehicle accident where the driver lost control and this caused the vehicle to overturn. Getting into that vehicle with an intoxicated driver was the last decision our young friend ever made. This is not a solitary incident. Sadly, too often Law Enforce- ment Officers are called to wrecks caused by underage drinkers where teenagers sustain serious bodily injury or even death. In the majority of these accidents, innocent people are often hurt or killed as well. If you think drinking doesn’t hurt people, or that alcohol is not a serious drug responsible for injury and death, countless tragedies have told a very different story. People that have been close to me and my family have been affected very hard.Too often this drug and its devastating con- sequences are underestimated and the price paid is too high. Underage Drinking: It Has Destroyed Countless Lives We Take the Teachings of Drug Demand Reduction to Heart YM/PFC Luke Zawis conducting a DDR presentation. Seen here are six of our seven DEA Device recipients; YM L/Cpl Jimmy Dick, YM/ PFC Katherine Perez-Diaz, YM/PFC Arianna Ybarra, YM/Sgt Allen Tu, YM/PFC Luke Zawis, and YM/GySgt Sophia M. Righthouse holding their DEA device shadow box- es. Not pictured is YM PFC Antonio Ybarra III. 10 YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT Online