By YM/Pvt Jaylynn Waters Mountain View (CO) It took me a full year to decide to join the Young Marines. I like pink, dresses, and girly things. But I am so proud of myself and excited to be join- ing the Young Marines. My weekend of recruit training for the Young Marines was really tiring and hot. The “hill” was the hardest thing for me; I thought it was easier to go up the hill than down. There were a lot of weeds that were very spiky and it was very steep but it was still easier than going down. At first I thought it would be fun to go down, but it was not. It was really tiring and I felt like I was going to fall down and roll down the hill like a big ball. As part of PT, we played a game called grenade. To play grenade, you have to army crawl down a grassy hill by a purple fire hydrant. Next, you wait at the bottom until the UC says to stand up and run. You run fast until he yells, “grenade.” That means you drop on your stomach and you keep on repeating it until you get to the top of the hill. Finally, we played it that some people got hit and you had to work as a team to get that per- son up the hill. That was really hard. Young Marines teaches you teamwork fast! My mentor was AMAZING. She was really nice to me. She called me before training to make sure I was ready. The best thing was that she gave me helpful tips. She also helped me on the hill and told me that I could do it, over and over again. I really needed that encouragement. During the classes, she helped me write things on my study guide and helped me to study at night. More teamwork! She was also very funny and made me give examples of prepatory command until I got it right.The best thing about her was that she helped me when I was sometimes in a bad mood. It was a very tiring weekend, and it was also a very fun weekend. A week- end full of teamwork. I loved it and am excited I made the choice to become a Young Marine. Besides, I can still wear pink, when I’m not in my uniform. With my mentor, YM/Cpl M. Krenta. With my family at graduation. Four Out of Five in Three Rivers: A Family of Young Marines By YM/LCpl Samira McCord Three Rivers (CT) I have five siblings, four of us are part of the Three Rivers Young Marines. My older sister Kiera and I are both currently Lance Corporals working towards the rank of Corporal. I have a little brother who is nine years old,and I have another younger brother who is eleven years old. One is a Private and the other is a PFC. Whenever we walk onto the drill deck, we are greeted by a nice, friendly hello from our Unit Commander, Patrick Mc- Mahon. My father is an Instructor, and will be coming with us to the National Encampment in Georgia. I love having my family be a part of this journey in the Young Marines, It is a lot different when you have your family by your side. In our home, we take part in a lot of activities; I play bas- ketball, I take part in cheerleading, I run track and field, play Lacrosse, I play piano, and every Saturday I go to art school. In addition to that I go to School, and I’m in the Young Marines, So I think I can safely say that I am a pretty busy child. In fact, I am writing this article on a Sunday, between Church, Lacrosse, and Young Marines. It is very challenging to fit everything in,but I have loving and supporting parents that always make sure we are where we have to be when we have to be there. I would like to thank Mr.McMahon for being like a second dad to me and always helping me and teaching me everything I need to know about the Young Marines. Mountain View: The Young Marines Teaches Teamwork FAST! “I like pink, dresses, and girly things. But I am so proud of myself and excited to be joining the Young Marines” 26 YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT Online