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 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54Upstate: We Reached Out to Our Heroes in Korea YM /LCpl Daniel Kocsis Upstate (SC) During the holiday season, Upstate Young Marines make a special effort to reach out to those who are away from their families while serving our country. This year, our team’s hearts went out to our country’s heroes deployed in Korea as our Young Marines joined together to purchase 600 pounds of goods to go to a unit of 300 service members. Eleven large boxes were filled with a large vari- ety of items such as hand and foot warmers, blankets, socks, “emergenC” vitamin packets, tea, hot chocolate, protein bars, various snacks, dried fruit, jerky, noodle soup packets, chips, and much more. The zeal with which our Young Marines carried out this project has shown that the respect our program generates for our heroes is truly felt in the hearts of our team. We were very excited with the opportunity to bring some warmth this Christmas to those away from their families in service to our country during a bitterly cold time of year in Korea. The sacrifices that our service members and their families make are always held in highest esteem by Upstate Young Marines and we take every opportunity to show our support. The Cross Roads Young Marines of Big Spring got to play Santa for the 5th floor patients at the VA Hospital in Big Spring.YM Cpl Ryker Grove and YM Cpl Chance McMurray volunteered to spread a little Christmas cheer and the gift of giving back to our fellow Veterans. These Young Marines took a break from their own family celebration on Christmas day. They passed out gifts of house slippers, socks, blankets and toiletry items. They also got to thank these gentlemen personally for their service in the Military. The gifts given out were purchased and donated by a local non profit group in Big Springs Northside Movement program, and thought it would be awe- some for the Young Marines to help out. The Young Marines and Cross Roads staff truly enjoyed making these gentlemen have a warm, brighter Christmas. --Sub- mitted by Carrie Rodman, Adjutant, Cross Roads (TX)Young Marines Cross Roads: Visiting the VA Hospital at Christmas By YM /LCpl Michael Rivera Eagle (CA) The Eagle (CA) Young Marines went to Harbor Days to vol- unteer to help the City of Oceanside with its Information Booth. Many volunteers were needed to help guide and di- rect the public on the whereabouts of many booths, double decker bus rides, tall ships tour and the Pirates’ Cove experi- ence and adventure. We handed out many maps and programs for the City of Oceanside to many guests. There were many military static displays such as the AMTRACS, Amphibious Assault Vehicles, Landing Craft, Air Cushion Vehicles, Light Armored Recon- naissance Vehicles and many more. The Eagle Young Marines escorted the elderly across the streets and helped them walk safely in the deep sand. Many parents and their kids stopped to ask us how to join the Young Marines. We were also able to give examples of how we train and what it meant to us.We handed out a lot of flyers about the Young Marines program. The City of Oceanside was very pleased with our unit as we volunteered for more than 9 hours on Sunday when they only asked us to volunteer for 3 hours. We were also interviewed by KCOT-Oceanside Channel about our unit.Their reporter asked me what I thought about Harbor Days and the Young Marines program. With a smile, I said, “ We believe in giving more than you ask for, ma’am”. I also told the reporter about a lot of the things we get to do. They were really amazed. It was a beautiful day with lots of smiles from everyone... even from the Pirates! Young Marines Give Back to the City of Oceanside YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 51