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 46• From our National Young Marine of the Year By YM/SgtMaj Joseph J. Bacon 2016 National Young Marine of the Year I hope all of you have had a great year so far. Personally, I have had the chance to visit many of your units and have really loved what I have seen so far. It is always an honor for me to be invited to meet my fellow Young Marines. One of the opportunities I was given was the ability to attend the National Leadership Academy; I was more than impressed to see how all of you worked together and improved as people and leaders dur- ing the Academy. Remember to bring everything you have learned back home so that you can continue to improve your units and Young Marines. I was also able to attend Navajo Code Talkers Day—it was a very emotional and well organized event. All of the Young Marines that attended did a great job cleaning and maintaining the area, and the whole event went very smoothly. I was very proud of all of you who attended and how well you all did at the event. I know the Navajo people, especially the code talkers, appreciate what you did— you should be proud of yourselves for it. Over my time as the National Young Marine of the Year I have re- ceived the question,“How did you get there; how did you get National Young Marine of the Year?” I always reply that you must know your- self, your weaknesses, and, ultimately, find a way to improve yourself. Never be offended when someone tells you you’re doing something wrong, always learn from it. The first step you must take as a leader is to become someone that accepts they are not perfect. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, and you can help others in areas you are strong in while learning from others in areas where they are strong. There is also one thing I want all of you to remember. You are a Young Marine 24/7. You are always representing this program and our values. Never forget that. No matter what you do, whether good or bad, people will associate both you and your actions with this program. I hope you all have a great rest of this year. If you are qualified to do so, make sure you sign up for the next leadership academy in 2017. They get better every year and all of the Young Marines—including me—had a great time at the academy this year. Also, make sure you take advantage of SPACES and sign up for whatever you can, they are once in a lifetime experiences you will not get anywhere else. Stay motivated and Oorah! The first step you must take as a leader is to become someone that accepts they are not perfect. Setting the Record Straight: Corrections and Credits In our last issue, an article was incorrectly credited. The article regarding the placement of flags at the Wildwood Cemetery in Williamsport, PA was conducted by Young Marines of the Clinton-Lycoming unit. We apologize to the Clinton-Lycoming Young Marines and YM/Sgt Kyra English and YM/LCpl Cadence Copson. We neglected to identify the Young Marine (or his unit) pictured on the cover of our last issue of Esprit. Pictured was YM/ Pvt James T.Vaughn, 10, of Manassas,VA, in the staging area prior to the start of the National Memorial Day Parade in Wash- ington D.C. Finally, in our article on the 2016 Adult Leaders Conference, in addition to the two Adult Volunteers we congratulated for receiving the Distinguished Order of Merit, we failed to mention a third recipient, Joe McDonough, Unit Commander of the Pueblo Young Marines. Our sincere apologies for this oversight, and belated congratulations to Mr. McDonough. YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 3