55 1965-2015CHARTERED BY THE MARINE CORPS LEAGUEYears Years

Happy Birthday

To our Young Marines, valued volunteers, parents and guardians, I would like to extend to you all a Happy Young Marines Birthday on a very special occasion.

On October 17th, 1965, the Marine Corps League agreed to adopt the Young Marines as a subsidiary organization. The result was the charter that hangs proudly in the National Headquarters Office signed by Mr. Burton P. Daugherty, Jr., National Commandant, Mr. Arthur Patterson, National Judge Advocate and Mr. Charles Weaver, National Adjutant Paymaster. Accompanying the charter is a picture of Mr. Daugherty and General Wallace M. Greene, Jr. Commandant of the Marine Corps. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of our charter with the Marine Corps League, an association that continues today and one that many of you see as vital to your continued success in your community.

I have had the distinct pleasure to watch you perform admirably over the years in the communities in which you live, work and play. We have been witness to thousands of Young Marines who have come into our organization and contributed to their own growth and that of those within their units. Many have participated in a host of events and activities unique to the Young Marines and have taken the lessons learned and applied them to shaping future lives. Your work in maintaining a healthy, drug-free lifestyle has been the hallmark of the program, a focal point that has resulted in six Fulcrum Shield awards for excellence in youth anti-drug education. And as proud as I am of those accomplishments, I am equally proud of the work you have done and continue to do with and for our veterans. Nobody does it better and for that you can be justifiably proud.

But in the end, our goal is to have a clear understanding of what it means to be a Young Marine; the emphasis we place on leadership, teamwork and discipline; the importance of taking care of one another. A lot has changed in the Young Marines over the past few years but the foundation of the organization remains as it had been intended by the founding fathers, and that was simply to teach certain positive values to the youth of America.

You have every reason to be proud and to celebrate this very important day on the calendar. I am proud to have my name associated with such an incredible organization and have you to thank for making the Young Marines an organization that is beginning to make its name known across the country and, yes, even overseas. Be proud, Young Marines, you are a part of something very special.

Happy Birthday and Semper Fidelis.

Michael B. KesslerNational Director