By YM/LCpl Samuel A. Mercado LCpl Brian R. Buesing (FL) On Saturday, May 27, I traveled with the LCpl Brian R Buesing (FL) Young Ma- rines unit and I traveled to Florida’s Ce- dar Key Cemetery to pay our respects to the memory of the many soldiers buried at this location in honor of Memorial Day. We started at the burial site of LCpl Brian R. Buesing, who our Young Marines unit was named after. First, we cleaned off the branches, twigs, and any debris then proceeded to remove the old flag that was there and we placed a new one. We held a moment of silence to honor his memory. We brought with us brand new Ameri- can flags. Our objective was to replace all of the worn flags with a new one. As we were doing this, one of our respected adult volunteers, Mr. Harris, spoke to us about the meaning behind the American Flag. He explained that “The American Flag is not made out of thread, but of the lives of those who have given their lives for us to continue ours…” which gave me an understanding on how to properly treat the American flag and why we re- spect it. While we were at the site,a Korean War veteran was there picking up old flags. He stated “Last year I was the only one here, it really makes me happy that you guys are here, paying your respects”. It was a bittersweet mo- ment for me because of what he said but an honor for me to experience. This experience has allowed me to see the true meaning of Memorial Day. Afterwards, we went to Cedar Key Beach as a unit where we en- joyed a nice lunch. Some of us went into the water to cool off, while oth- ers got to have fun as a unit for the rest of the day. I hope to be able to do this in honor of our soldiers every year. On This Day, Honoring Our Unit’s Namesake, and Others (Washington, DC)- Units from near and far participate in the National Memorial Day Parade down Consitution Avenue. At the start of the parade, four members from Palm Beaches Young Marines held the “National Memorial Day Parade” banner to kick off this historical parade. More than one hundred Young Marines from thirteen different units attended this event holding ban- ners for local and distant organizations.--Submitted by YM/ Ssgt Jennifer Feher, Division 1 Public Affairs Officer MEMORIAL DAY 2017 12 YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT