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 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 19 A Tennessee Young Marine Visits MCRD Parris Island, SC By YM/ LCpl Anthony Henderson Rutherford County (TN) Last summer,Music CityYoung Marines and several members from Rutherford County Young Marines visited the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot at Parris Island, SC to build strength, discipline, and to learn a few new things. I had some good experiences and some not so good experi- ences. The not so good experiences can be summed up by two letters… PT. We did a lot of PT! We learned many things while we were at Parris Island. Something we learned there is that there is the Marine way to make a bed, and also some Marine Corps history. We learned about gun safety, and about some of the things that can hap- pen during recruit training. There were many things that we learned that week, but these are the ones that I will always remember. We got the chance to run 8 of the obstacles out of two ob- stacle course locations.Sadly,we couldn’t do the rappel tower, but we did get to see how tall it is. Overall, it was a great ex- perience and I am glad I had the opportunity to go. Many times I asked myself if I would ever return to Parris Island and the answer was usually a 50/50. But now that I am home, I can’t wait to return next year. By YM/Pvt Kody Hoogacker Plaquemines Parish Sheriffs Office (LA) When I first joined this program, I thought it just took away my Saturdays and I was stuck there until my parents came to pick me up. I wanted to quit, but a couple of my instructors convinced me to stay. I now see my fellow Young Ma- rines as brothers and sisters.We travel to cool places you don’t normally get to visit.We marched in our first parade this past October at the Our Lady of Perpet- ual Help School Fair. One of my favorite parts of the Young Marines has been the (Qualified Field) survival training. We trained by carrying a Young Marine who pretended to be in- jured. We also learned to make a fire, boil water, and we were shown how to make a shelter. Overall, I am proud of myself for not quitting.When I gradu- ated from recruit training,I felt like I had accomplished some- thing special. My parents were so proud of me, also. A message to new recruits: If you join the Young Marines Program, you should stay in and learn all you can from the Adult Leaders and from the senior Young Marines. I can promise that you will enjoy every event that comes your way. Stay strong, and remember these words Semper Fidelis -Al- ways Faithful. “I Felt Like I Had Accomplished Something Special ...” YM/Pvt. Hoogacker at the Traveling Vietnam Wall in New Orleans City Park. By YM/Sgt Gabriel Hoyer Flatirons (CO) This past June, some Young Marines from Colorado’s Flat- irons unit got the chance to visit Washington D.C. While we were there we got to see the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon. On September 11, 2001, two hijacked passenger airplanes were intentionally flown into the World Trade Center Towers in New York City and a third [Flight #77] was crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. (A fourth aircraft, Flight 93, was crashed near Shanksville, PA). There is one memorial unit for each of the 184 people lost in the attack at the Pentagon, from the youngest (three year old Dana Falkenberg), to the oldest (a seventy one year old navy veteran, John D. Yamnicky). The memorial is designed so that when observing one of the units dedicated to those lost in the building, the name of the victim is seen along with a view of the Pentagon. In contrast, when observing the units dedicated to those who were lost aboard Flight #93, you see the name of the victim with a view of the sky from where the plane flew. It was a somber experience, and I en- courage anyone to visit this memorial if they have the opportunity. Flatirons: We Visited the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial By YM/SSgt Ryan Mathews Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office (LA) On 15 October 2016, nine Young Marines as- sisted the Louisiana Walks for Parkinson’s or- ganization in their annual “Walk for the Cure”. This is the local arm of the Michael J. Fox Foun- dation. We helped set up and break down the event. We also assisted people with Parkinson’s who are wheelchair bound, in moving about the event area.Parkinson’s is a progressively degen- erative disorder that affects the central nervous system which can result in difficulty in breath- ing, balance and has crippling effects. It was our pleasure to assist in this event and always look forward to the next opportunity to help out. JPSO: Helping Louisiana Walks for Parkinson’s event