By YM/Sgt Mario Koch Greater Cleveland (OH) I had the time of my life at Young Marines National Summer Encampment in Clayton, GA at Camp Rainey Moun- tain. My unit (Greater Cleveland) stayed at the Cleveland Campsite. We had six bunk beds in our cabins with an extra storage place on top. We woke up in the morning and marched down to morning formation. During morning formation we raised the colors, listened to announce- ments, and (my favorite part) we had a shouting contest from the two sides to see who was the most motivated to eat chow. Of course, we washed our hands before we ate because we had to have “clean phalanges” as YM SgtMaj Oros- co said. After we finished our delicious morning chow, we headed to classes. My classes were C.O.P.E, Personal Fit- ness, and Small Boat Sailing.My favorite class was Small Boat Sailing. In Small Boat Sailing we learned how to sail a boat safely and how to avoid capsiz- ing and other common hazards. When I wasn’t in classes, I went swimming or kayaking. Kayaking was my favorite. Another thing our unit did was hike up Big Rock Mountain. On our way up the mountain we all tried to keep cool and hydrate. We hydrated a lot; we didn’t want anyone to get dehydrated. When we made it to the top of the mountain we took a group picture and screamed “GCYM” as loud as we could.The hike back down was much easier because it was downhill. When We got down the mountain we were encouraging the last few Young Marines to finish the hike. We finished our hike in 1 hour and 53 minutes.I loved seeing Young Marines come down the home stretch of the mountain. I could see that every Young Marine had gained confidence, and moti- vation.I will never forget that memory of the mountain.I made a lot of memories with new people at summer camp. I met a lot of motivated Young Marines at the Chester Motto Show.At the Chester Mot- to show we did challenges and danced to music. The worst part about summer camp was leaving. Every Young Marine in my unit had a hard time leaving, also because we had to wake up at 3 in the morning! Overall, I will never forget the 2017 National Summer Encampment. GA Encampment: Learning Sailing, Hiking Big Rock Mountain By YM/GySgt Sophia M. Righthouse Miramar (CA) On June 15, 2017, the Miramar (CA) Young Marines were requested by the Black Marines Heritage Group to present the colors at their reunion held at the Grand Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, California. The Young Marines were greeted with cheers and more Oorahs! than we could count. The Marines invited all of the Color Guard to stay for dinner and provided us with t-shirts and chal- lenge coins.The event was a lot of fun! When you get the chance to become involved in Young Marine events, take it! The experiences you will have are awesome! The Young Marines in the Color Guard are myself, YM/Sgt Allen Tu, YM/PFC Luke Zawis, YM/PFC Jimmy Dick, YM/PFC Trevyn Hoefer, and YM/ PFC Harmony Philpott. Miramar: Color Guard at Heritage Group Reunion By YM/Pvt Ronan Irwin Atlantic Coast (FL) I went on my very first summer trip to the state of North Carolina with the Atlantic Coast (FL) Young Marines and boy, was it fun! We took part in so many activities there that you wouldn't believe it! First things first, it was a long car ride but totally worth it! At Carow- inds, an amusement park lopcated on the border between South Carolina and North Carolina, there was an enormous roller coaster and other great attractions that I will never forget because it was so cool! I wish that we do it again! The next thing I really enjoyed was experiencing the White Water Rafting, then we went zip lining. I was actu- ally a little bit scared but after I let myself go, it was great. I thought I would be on the zip line forever because it felt as if it was a mile long, but eventually we came to a stop and we were helped to detach. We did the high rope course and after we completed it we zip lined our way back to the ground. When we got back to our campsite we did some archery and that was amazing, we scored pretty well. Thank you to all the adult staff and especially our UC Mrs. Gibbons and to our XO Gunny Vicente for keeping us all safe, strong and happy. FL to NC: A Very Memorable Young Marines Summer Trip 36