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 46Memories of a Busy Week on the Island of Oahu Let me start by saying I have never per- sonally had a strong desire to visit the Hawaiian Islands for a vacation trip. I’ve always had in the back of my mind that if I ever went, it would be to honor the history of Pearl Harbor and that the trip would be much more than simply a family trip to get away. This past December, I had the privilege to coordinate a week-long Pearl Harbor trip to the island of Oahu for 25 of our Young Marines and five staff members. But this was no Hawaiian vacation. It was an unforgettable week, packed with immersion in American history and Ha- waiian cultural education. The planning for this trip involved more than a year in preparation in it- self. Coordinating logistics from lodg- ing, ground transportation, flights, and especially meals, is a challenge in itself. We traveled around the island in a caravan of 4 mini-vans, spent the night on two military bases in four types of lodging, and at times were somewhat creative about feeding our Young Ma- rines on a budget. It turns out you can- not go wrong with a Dairy Queen treat in our unit! Then there are the activities. We suc- cessfully completed the most jam- packed week of educational experi- ences for our Young Marines, which included attending a Hawaiian Luau at the Hale Koa. We visited the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and experi- enced an afternoon of educational tours and hands-on activities at the Pacific Aviation Museum. We visited five beaches on the island, including Waikiki, and watched the Fri- day night fireworks. We took part in a beach cleanup, did some swimming, and watched the profes- sionals surf the north shore. We explored the maze and rode the train at the Dole Plantation (Dole Whip is super yummy!). We ate Matsumoto Shaved Ice and we bought shirts for all Young Marines. We attended the cer- emony unveiling of the new Young Ma- rines Monument at the National Ceme- tery of the Pacific and later explored the mosaic exhibits of America’s involve- ment in the Pacific Theater of Opera- tions during World War II. We toured the Bowfin Submarine Museum and explored the sub itself. we spent the night aboard the battle- ship USS Missouri with 26 of our Young Marines friends from North San Diego and Pyramid Rock. (This experience is incredible and highly recommended for any unit!). We marched in the Pearl Harbor Re- membrance Day Parade, then hiked Dia- mond Head State Monument. As mentioned, the budget was ex- tremely tight for these events as we tried to maximize the experience and education for each of our Young Marines who attended. We budgeted $1250 per person (but ended up spending less) and raised funds for more than 50% of this in less than a year. Many units have approached us, ask- ing how we did this which led me to write a ‘how-to’ manual to make the process as easy and enable any unit to do. It is a lot of hard work, but entirely worth the life- long memories each Young Ma- rine will bring home. The dedication and involvement of the entire unit came together for this trip makes us more ex- cited to plan our next big trip… and bring even more of our Young Marines! --Submitted by Juliann Harvey, Registered Adult, Douglas County (CO) Young Marines ESPRIT ONLINE | Page 19