By YM/MSgt William Daniels Quartz Hill (CA) [I conducted this interview May 26th, 2018 at Lancaster Sheriff’s Station, Lancaster, CA] I had the opportunity to in- terview a man who has been able to create a legacy through his voluntary contributions to the community of Lancaster, CA. His name is Russell Bailey. Mr. Bailey retired from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department after serving 32 years as a full- time deputy. Now, he serves as a reserve deputy. This means that (like an active deputy) he gets to wear the uniform and the badge but (unlike an active deputy) he does not get paid. He explained to me that reserve personnel get to choose how they spend their time, saying,“There’s several things you can do...you can do patrols, volun- teering and different details.” Mr. Bailey chose to devote most of his time to a youth organization known as the Sher- iff’s Deputy Explorers. The Sheriff’s Explorers program is much like the Young Marines: it is designed to instill discipline and a strong sense of citizenship in its members. Unlike the Young Marines, the age range for the Ex- plorers program is 14 to 21. It begins with 18 Saturdays of an “Explorer Academy,” an en- vironment like Young Marines recruit train- ing. Explorers then continue in the program by attending weekly meetings and going on “ride-alongs” with deputies on patrol in the community. When I asked Mr. Bailey why he chose to volunteer with the Explorers, he explained,“It was a program that I wasn’t willing to give up, so I came back.” In the Lancaster Explorers program, Mr. Bai- ley plays a key role. It is his responsibility to oversee the training of Explorer Drill Instruc- tors and their performance in that capacity during the Explorer Academy. “My job is to oversee the Drill Instructors who are Explorers… It’s their Academy, they are Explorers; I try my best to let them run and operate it... It’s just my job to make sure they’re following protocol.” Within this role, Mr. Bailey has directly impacted the lives of many youth in Lancaster. As the interview progressed, I began to wonder if anything that he has done has im- pacted him in return, so I asked him. He took a second, then responded with a discernible sense of certainty in his voice, saying, “It has a great impact on me that many of my Drill Instructors, who I’ve known from age 15 on up…I get to see them become Peace Officers or work in law enforcement. That’s probably the biggest impact for me.” This astounded me and I couldn’t help but think about why we in the Young Marines program place emphasis on leadership by example. Mr. Bailey has motivated dozens of youth and young adults into following in his footsteps and it is this that builds his legacy in our community. I then asked Mr. Bailey one final question: “What is the Number One value that you teach your Explorers?” He responded,“Coping skills.” He explained, “Kids nowadays rely on their parents a lot to do almost everything... Here, it’s all on their own.” This stood out to me because it is a very important value for youth to learn.The ability to cope with things such as failure or tragedy separates the champions who go on to live long and fulfilling lives from those whose lives stagnate. After this interview, I felt proud of the fact that there are individuals such as Reserve Deputy Russell Bailey who spend their time making the world a better place, one youth at a time. Community Volunteer Interview: Reserve Deputy Russell Bailey Bailey strives to instill discipline and a strong sense of citizenship in young people. Reserve Deputy Russell Bailey 28 Young Marines Esprit ONLINE