• From our National Executive Director Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/usyoungmarines and our national homepage www.youngmarines.com 2 YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT What an exciting time of year! We’ve just wrapped up our annual Adult Leaders Confer- ence (ALC) and are in full execution mode for our Academies and SPACES events. For our Adult and Senior Young Marine read- ers, we’ve had very positive feedback concerning the ALC this year. Your ideas helped to shape the structure, agenda, and activities of our confer- ence, prompting the inclusion of our guest speakers as well as additional class topics. Many of you have already reached out to me person- ally expressing your gratitude for new, helpful information. I trust that all you have learned will be shared with other members of your respec- tive units. Next year’s ALC will be held from 9–12 May in San Antonio, Texas, and we will continue to incorporate innovative ideas to pro- vide a relevant, impactful experience for each of you. I hope that you will be able to join us. If you were unable to attend physically and were not able to watch the live Facebook streaming of our National awards presentations, you can find information on latter pages of this Esprit, on our numerous social media pages, and in the latest edition of the Young Marines News Network. I would like to again offer congratula- tions our Unit of the Year, East Valley Young Ma- rines from Phoenix, Arizona, and Adult Volunteer of the Year, Marie Smith from North San Diego Young Marines. Of course, the big announcement at the ALC was the National Young Marine of the Year. Our Division Young Marines of the Year are extraordinary—they embody leadership, disci- pline, and years of dedicated service to others. It was my privilege to have gotten to know each of them better over the past year, and I look for- ward to our collaborative efforts in the upcom- ing months as we work to improve our program. As always, it was a difficult to choose the Na- tional Young Marine of the Year, but after careful deliberations, our panel voted for YM/SgtMaj Angel Orozco to represent the program in the year to come. SgtMaj Orozco is very motivated, and he has already updated the NYMOY web- site and posted a personal video every Young Marine should watch. He will be at the National Leadership Academy as well as other events in the upcoming year, and I encourage you to reach out to him with your ideas or issues. I have every confidence in his ability to represent you well while striving to improve our program. I want to remind everyone, adults and Young Marines alike, to keep safety in mind this sum- mer. We all have a much better time when everyone stays healthy and injury free. It starts with a respect for the sun and heat. Stay hy- drated and watch your sun exposure! We are posting additional hydration information on the Young Marines website courtesy of our friends at Camelbak. As you venture out to camps and SPACES events, remember that safety starts with each individual. Pay attention to safety briefs and remember your training. Keep an eye out for your fellow Young Marines to ensure maximum enjoyment and minimal pain. As the school year ends, some of our Young Marines will be retiring from the program. For those that are graduating high school, I wish all of you the best in your next stage of life. I trust that you will hold dear the valuable lessons and experiences that you have had in your Young Marine careers. Let others be led by your posi- tive examples, and please keep in touch with us and consider joining the Young Marine Alumni Association. I look forward to seeing so many of you this summer at SPACES events, regional camps, and our National Encampment this July in Georgia. Be safe, have fun, and keep living a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. Semper Fidelis, Col Bill Davis, USMC (Ret) National Executive Director, Young Marines At ease with Young Marines from the Hanover Area (PA) unit at the National Memorial Day Parade.