By YM/Sgt Cailin Christoforo Manassas (VA) Last February found us at Camp Spencer in Maryland for the last Frozen Chosin event.Planning for this event began months before with the Young Marines selected as Staff visiting the site in January for a walk through, and a planning session to make this event a memorable one. This event is named in honor of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, fought during the Korean War in 1950. Young Marines Staff and Registered Adults arrived on Thursday evening to prepare for the event under the guid- ance of Mrs. Behringer. After a brief, YM Staff put together more than 65 tents in preparation to set up the male, female and staff tent cities. Friday morning, we were up bright and early to eat breakfast, set up the chow hall and tents. Firewood was delivered to the fire pits, and supplies were put in place. Communications trained everyone on the use of the Comms to those who required them. By 1800 Friday, we were ready for the arrival of the Young Marines from Divisions 1, 2 and 6. Units checked in, had a gear inspection, then were escorted to their tents to deposit their gear, and ushered into the Chow Hall for dinner. I led Platoon One (the Skittles Platoon). YM/ Sgt. Gogol headed up Platoon 2 (the Rubber Duckies). Platoon Three (the Mickey Mouse Platoon), was led by YM/Sgt. Willis and Platoon Four (the Red Delicious Apples), was led by YM/ Sgt. Garrison. After a Safety Brief and run down of the Fire Watch,Young Ma- rines hit the rack,.YM Staff held a meeting to discuss “The Big Day”, and we finally got a chance to catch a little sleep. Satur- day morning dawned bright and chilly with Young Marines Pla- toon Sergeants and some rather motivated Registered Adults (I’m looking at you, Gunny Howard and Mr. Willis) crowing Rev- eille to wake the Young Marines. After morning formation and chow, the Platoons were off to one of the four stations. Each platoon rotated between four stations. At Station One, Survival, we learned to build shelters out of materials on hand, how to start fires using steel wool and 9 volt batteries, and explored the use of iodine tablets for water purification. Communications was Station Two, in which Young Marines learned “comm” (radio) etiquette, ground signals and how to signal with mirrors. The Third Station was the Rifle Range, a favorite of all Young Marines. We honed our marksmanship and practiced firearm safety. The last station, Station Four, was the “O” Course in which platoons worked on team-building skills by flipping tires, and various kinds of tag and defending their guidons from the staff’s perilous plots to procure our platoon gui- dons. After a busy day, the much anticipated tradition of “Mess Night” arrived. Our Mess Hall was deco- rated with snowflakes, a tent, a shelter, a por- trait of the first Young Marines’ Frozen Chosin event, a banner marking the End of the Era, mil- itaria items of significance to the Marines, unit t-shirts, and Chester, our bulldog pup mascot. Mess night commenced with the President of the Mess declaring the food fit for human consumption, then speeches in tributes to past Frozen Chosins were made, followed by a moving speech by YM/MGySgt Loria about the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. Then Young Marines dug into chow, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy prepared by our awesome kitchen staff. With chow quickly eaten by hungry Young Marines, the revelry of fines, punishments via “Frozen Chosin Beans” (disgusting/ delicious jelly beans), singing “I’m a Little Teapot” (what Mess Night is complete without it?), “dragon slaying” and balloon stomping began. There was a special appearance by “Elsa”, who was invited by Company Gunny, YM/GySgt Smith. The evening ended with the traditional toasts. Exhausted Young Marines gratefully hit their racks, while Staff discussed the day and prepared for site break down. Sunday morning, with heavy hearts, we tore down the Fro- zen Chosin encampment for the last time and bid farewell to this Division 2 tradition. We ended with formation, awards and left Camp Spencer with great memories, new friends, and new knowledge. This was my second year at Frozen Chosin, and my first year as staff. This year, I was a Platoon Sergeant. It was one of the most memorable experiences that I have had in Young Ma- rines. I used the skills I learned in JLS, in my Unit and in Marine Corps JROTC to keep my Platoon’s morale up,and make sure my Young Marines had the things they needed, had fun, and were motivated. I learned that bringing dry socks, extra trail mix and lip balm for my entire Platoon made all the difference in the world at a cold weather encampment. We bid farewell to the time-honored tradition of Frozen Chosin. We look forward to creating a new encampment with new traditions, new knowl- edge and creating new memories. Frozen Chosin XII: The End of a Young Marines Tradition YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT 23