By YM/LCpl Michael Manley Atlantic Coast (FL) Joining the Atlantic Coast Young Marines was one of the best decisions that I have made in my life. I am so happy to be part of this unit and I’m now able to watch it grow. Our newest ACYM Recruit Class 3106 graduated in November.We welcome them to our unit and cannot wait to create some awesome memories with them. They will be so glad that they saw through recruit training be- cause they will be amazed at all they will learn. Our Unit Com- mander, Ms. Gibbons, and Gunny teach us to be strong, not just physically but mentally, too. They teach us about giving back. They take us to volunteer activities with veterans and in our community. We take part in celebrations for special occasions. They educate us not just about the dangers of drug abuse but also about manners, internet safety, and being a good person. I have only been in the program for 7 months,but in that short time, I am already a better person because of what Ms. Gib- bons,Gunny and the entire ACYM staff and Young Marines have taught me. We all learn from each other, help each other and know that we can count on each other. We look forward to our newest graduates being part of this great unit. We welcome you and want you to know that you can count on us. You are part of our unit, and we are happy to have you. Congratulations! We Welcome Our New Atlantic Coast Young Marines! Last December, Fox Valley (IL) Young Marines held their second recruit training session since receiving their charter in May 2016. Since a winter storm was pre- dicted for that weekend, the PFT was held the weekend prior. Although only the recruits were required to take the test, several Young Marines wanted a chance to improve their scores. It was obvious those who retook the test had developed an excellent physical fitness program as they all greatly improved their scores (including two who scored a perfect 500.) The ten recruits had obviously set the bar very high for themselves—all passed with scores second class or better, and YM/Rct Ivan Soriano, age 12, scored a per- fect 500. At the graduation ceremony, they were awarded their certificates and ribbons. YM/Rct Ben Krause was the honor graduate and was meritoriously pro- moted to YM/PFC. Prior to our awards ceremony YM/Pvt Amanda Valencia was also promoted to PFC; she had already completed the entire Basic Guidebook. While Fox Valley is one of the newest YM units, they are nearing forty members, not shabby for a unit that has only been in existence seven months.Does that say something about the recruiting efforts of our Young Marines? Ooh-Rah! -- Submitted by Sheldon Bathurst, Unit Commander, Fox Valley (IL) Young Marines Fox Valley Young Marines (From left to right, back row): PFC Amanda Valencia, PFC Ben Krause, Pvt Isaac Vasquez, Pvt Ivan Soriano, and Pvt Hailey Wood. Front row: Pvt Tyler Kuhlmey, Pvt Alex Gutierrez, Pvt Mia Reyes, Pvt Michael Wood, and Pvt Eva Wasik. Fox Valley: A Young Unit’s Second Recruit Class in Seven Months Atlantic Coast (FL) Young Marines: A busy year. 26 YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE For Young Marines’ Parents: A Way to Get Updated Parents! Want to see how your Young Marine is doing in the unit? What was their last physical fitness test score? Are they up to speed on their Drug Demand Reduction hours? Did you know they should have a minimum of three hours per quarter? How about their community service hours? These things are extremely important to keep up to date, as they are factors for your Young Marine being promoted and even being selected to attend SPACES events. Go to https://members.youngmarines.com and click on the GREEN icon of the U.S. that says MY UNIT (upper right).  Then go to bottom and click on FALL IN!   On the login for YOUNG MARINES (under FALL IN!) type in the Young Marines’ First Name, Last Name, and for Password/Pin: type in last four digits of their social security number.  Their name must be typed as it is in the database (Examples - Carl Smith or CARL SMITH) That will log you into the database where you can see mul- tiple ‘things’ including their Record Book and Ribbon Rack. Ex- plore a little bit. Now, please remember that your registered adults, who are responsible for entering information into the database,are ALL volunteers. If they just ran the physical fitness test on Saturday, don’t ex- pect to see it in the database on Monday. Our volunteers are cherished VIPs who spend countless hours, money and effort to build tomorrow’s leaders. They are deserving of our respect and gratitude. Please give them your support. By working together with respect and according to the ethos of the Young Marines, we will continue to build our organiza- tion into the best youth program in the nation.