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 46San Antonio Unit Helps Another Young Marines Family I want to thank the San Antonio (TX)Young Marines unit for being such a blessing to me and my dad, SSgt George Blair USMC (Ret) in his final days. Dad suffered a serious fall in May that landed him in the hospital and unable to walk, and with cognitive difficulties. My father had been unable to attend our Kore- an War veterans appreciation ceremony several years earlier; I called Blue Ridge Young Marines Unit Commander, Russ Reeder, and without hes- itation he immediately shipped the medal to be awarded at that ceremony. He contacted Alber- to Salas, Unit Commander of the San Antonio Young Marines unit. Mr. Salas formed a contingent of Young Ma- rines on very short notice and when the medal arrived, he and the Young Marines presented it to my dad at the hospital. Dad was beaming! He was convinced that “this medal must have cost the Corps a lot of money!” I expected,at the end of the ceremony,to thank everyone for coming and that that would be the end of things... but it wasn’t. I found myself sur- rounded by family! Several unit moms offered to look in on dad and help his sister in caring for him at home. The San Antonio Young Marines unit was even set to build a ramp at the house for him. In the stress and struggle to figure out my father’s long-term care needs in a matter of days, this was a HUGE relief for me. I could leave Satur- day knowing he would be safe at home and his elderly sister would have help. Dad came home the following Wednesday, and passed away in his sleep in the early morn- ing hours of June 4th. The San Antonio Young Marines unit rallied around me again. They not only posted a beau- tiful tribute to my dad on their Facebook page, but when I returned to San Antonio the fol- lowing week to take care of his estate, the San Antonio Young Marines agreed to come to the house to help me move furniture and clean out the shed. I could not have accomplished everything I did in those seven days without them! I cannot thank these Young Marines lead- ers and Young Marines enough for all that they did, but especially for surrounding me like fam- ily during this difficult time. The San Antonio Young Marines unit proved that “Semper Fi” isn’t just a phrase, it’s how they live. --Submitted by Laura Hickman, Adjutant, Blue Ridge (VA) Young Marines Above: San Antonio Young Marines with SSgt George Blair, USMC (Ret); Blair’s medal, and a presentation of flowers. At right, Blair at duty stations in Rome, Italy and at DI School at MCRD in 1956. YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 13