YM/SgtMaj Megan Lynch, National Young Marine of the Year, from Southeast County Young Marines in Seal Beach, CA; and YM/MGySgt Luke Smith from North San Diego Young Marines in Vista, CA; lay a wreath at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in memory of all the brave men and women who are interred there. (Photo courtesy: Young Marines)
Honolulu HI— Seventeen-year-old member of the Young Marines, YM/MGySgt Luke Smith, from Oceanside, joined one hundred and fifty members of the Young Marines at Pearl Harbor to perform a wreath laying and meet Pearl Harbor survivors at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The Young Marines were from 20 separate units throughout the United States.o
The Young Marines along with the leadership of the American Legion, Marine Corps League Hawaii, Vietnam Veterans of America Hawaii, AMVETS Hawaii, and Best Defense Foundation performed a wreath laying ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the Punchbowl, in memory of all the brave men and women who are interred there.
A significant honor for the Young Marines was leading the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu. Youth members of the Young Marines carried the banners of the 12 capital ships that were attacked. The parade’s objective was to honor the heroes and survivors of Pearl Harbor and World War II, to pay tribute to veterans, active duty military members and military families, to celebrate freedom and to keep in remembrance the heinous events of Dec. 7, 1941.
In addition, the Young Marines performed community service by cleaning up two beaches, Ft. Hase Beach, and Pyramid Rock Beach, at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
“The Young Marines personally met five of the survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor,” said Col William P. Davis USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. “Those veterans are, in every sense of the words – living history, and each has a story to tell. It is an honor, and lasting memory, for each Young Marine to meet these veterans and memorialize the ones who are no longer with us.”
The participating Young Marines units were:
Eagle Young Marines
Golden Gate Young Marines
LCpl. Brian R. Buesing Young Marines
LCpl. Caleb John Powers Young Marines
Mountain View Young Marines
North San Diego Young Marines
North Valley Young Marines
Santa Clarita Valley Young Marines
Tri State Young Marines
West Texas Young Marines
Ashtabula County Young Marines
Blackstone Valley Young Marines
Columbia River Young Marines
Mid Cumberland Young Marines
Palm Beaches Young Marines
Pyramid Rock Young Marines
Southeast County Young Marines
Southland Young Marines
West Texas Young Marines
Yuma Young Marines
Young Marines units raised funds at their local level to supplement the costs of traveling to Hawaii to attend the remembrance ceremonies. Young Marines used their creativity, and applied the program’s core values – leadership, teamwork and discipline – to implement unique and effective fundraising efforts.
The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501c (3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through the completion of high school. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.
Since the Young Marines’ humble beginnings in 1959 with one unit and a handful of boys, the organization has grown to 264 units with 8,500 youth and 2,500 adult volunteers in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Japan, and affiliates in other countries.
For more information about the Young Marines, visit the official website at: https://www.YoungMarines.com.