• From our National Young Marine of the Year It is the responsibility of a leader to ensure that their subordinates are ready to take their place when the time comes; good leaders lead, but great leaders make leaders. As my 10 years as a Young Marine come to a close, I need to let you all know some of the things that have helped me on my journey in life. This is not everything that makes someone successful, but these are the things that you can start doing right now in the journey to be a great leader. Integrity is the foundation of who you are; other leadership and character traits are built on integ- rity. Integrity is doing the right thing, not only when everyone is watching but even when no one is. It is staying true to who you are and what you believe in. People do not wish to follow someone who strays from their morals; people want to follow someone who can be counted on to always do the right things. Have vision for the future. You need to know what you want to achieve in the future, this is your defi- nition of success you are working towards. Dream big Young Marines. Dreams can only be limited by your own imagination. Remember that anything worth doing will make you uncomfortable, but you will grow and get stronger as an individual. Once you have your vision, set goals in between to help you get there one day at a time. Be undeniably passionate. Our vision is often informed by what we are passionate about, but when you have a dream or goal you must love what you do. If you don’t know what you are passionate about yet, then try new things. Experience all that you can until you find your niche. Once you find it, give it everything you’ve got; don’t let anything stop you from pursuing your dreams. Be genuine in life. This is often called honesty, but this is being honest in your intentions, your emotions, and your thoughts. It is easy to just go through the motions, but you must be purposeful. If you give meaning to the things you do, then the things you do will be meaningful. Being genuine means taking the time to care about your fellow Young Marines; it means never saying one things and doing another. It’s easy to fake things or give half effort, but to be genuine, you give everything you have every time. Never stop learning. Knowledge is an unlimited tool that every great leader never stops trying to gain. There is an amazing beautiful world that waits to be learned about and understood; all you must do is read, observe, listen, and discover. Make it a staple of your mental diet to always learn more; make a commitment to learn something new every day. Knowledge is the single greatest tool someone can use for self- improvement. As a Young Marine and a leader, you must never stop your pur- suit of knowledge. Believe in yourself; believe in your abil- ity to give effort. You can do it. I believe in you, Young Marines. The only thing that can stop you is your own mind; be in control of your own emotions and thoughts. You always have a choice, now make the choice to be better. Fail Forward. If you are pushing your limits and doing things that make you uncomfortable then you will fail often; If you are doing things worth doing, then you will fail often. Making mistakes is how we gain experience and wisdom from life. The only true failure in life is when one stops making mistakes and having small failures; giving up is the only true failure. If you are still living, then you should still be trying. Keep moving forward, one step at a time towards a better future. It has been my honor to serve as your National Young Marine of the Year. I leave it to all of you to step up and carry the Young Marines organization forward; only you can do it. I believe in you and have confidence that our future is in good hands. Thank you, Young Marines. Semper Fidelis, YM/SgtMaj Angel Luiz Orozco National Young Marine of the Year 2017-2018 Thoughts on The Journey of Young Marines Leadership YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 3 As my 10 years as a Young Marine come to a close, I need to let you all know some of the things that have helped me on my journey in life.