Four join ranks of Young Marines
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE —The County Patriot Young Marines more than make up for the small size of their group with enthusiasm and dedication unexpected of such youngsters; the traits exuded by the county’s Young Marines and the fun they’ve had in their travels have caused more youths to join the organization during their Dec. 11 Graduation Ceremony held at the Hayward Frazier Post VFW.
County Patriot Young Marines who graduated on Dec. 11 included PFC Alex Kaiser, Dustin Fundalewicz and Pvt. Kash Fundalewicz, all of Ashland, and Pvt. Brendon Hammond of Westfield.
Contributed photo
YOUNG MARINES GRADUATION TAKES THE CAKE — Participating in the graduation ceremony of four new County Patriot Young Marines included, front row, from left, assistant trainer Pfc. Kyle Kilcollins, Pvt. Kash Fundalewicz, Pvt. Alex Kaiser and assistant trainer Pfc. Emma Rossignol. Back row: Pvt. Dustin Fundalewicz, Xo. Richard Norton, Pvt. Brendon Hammond and Co. Diane Norton. Following the ceremony, Young Marines old and new enjoyed cake and a potluck with family, friends and well-wishers.
Despite their name, the group has no military affiliation, is not a recruitment tool and was not designed to interest children in the military, rather the program — founded by former Marines — was designed to give youths the tools they need to be successful in life by promoting a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, teaching ideals such as honesty, fairness, respect and courage, and promoting the physical, moral and mental development of its members as a whole.
Participating Aroostook youths have excelled in this program to the extent that Pfc. Kyle Kilcollins was named County Patriots Young Marine of the Year as well as Battalion Two Young Marine of the Year, which makes him eligible to run for Northern New England Regimental Young Marine of the Year.
Kaiser was named the Honor Recruit of the bunch and “was picked for the title by the Portsmouth New Hampshire assistant YM trainers for his genuine willingness to help other recruits who needed it without being asked,” said YM Co. Diane Norton.
In 2010, the County Patriot Young Marines kept busy doing fun, character-enhancing and teamwork-building activities such as participating in veteran-honoring events, hosting an encampment at the Aroostook State Park and participating in a weekend encampment at the Bog Brook training facility with three other YM units. During their October Bog Brook training, Kilcollins and Pfc. Emma Rossignol from Connor became certified in basic first aid and CPR.
A big focus for the group in October, other than their encampment, was Red Ribbon Week.
Adjutant Lori Kilcollins focused her involvement with the Young Marines training on the drug-free promotional week to prepare the youths for talking to the public at the Aroostook Centre Mall about the reasons for Red Ribbon Week and handing out Red Ribbon supplies. For their efforts in promoting a drug-free lifestyle, Kyle Kilcollins and Rossignol moved a step closer toward earning their community service ribbon.
And even though 2010 was a good year for the County Patriot Young Marines, these kids aren’t going to spend 2011 reminiscing about the past; they’re getting ready for a February Winter Encampment sponsored by the Kennebec Valley Young Marines in Gardiner, which is sure to promote development of all the positive Young Marine traits even if the youths are too busy having fun to realize they’re learning the life-skills they’ll need to be successful adults.
The next meeting of the County Patriot Young Marines is this Saturday, Jan. 15 at the Hayward Frasier VFW Post in Presque Isle from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the group is currently accepting new members and interested parties are encouraged to come on down and participate in Saturday’s activities.
