To the editor:
Once upon a time, there was this little girl. She had an attitude and a spirit nobody could tame. She was tough and attacked each new day without fear. She went by your name and spoke with a voice only you could hear. She lived in your mind. Find her. Maybe one morning she made you throw on jeans and run outside barefoot, across a field and up the side of a tree. Maybe she took you on a slide, head first into home plate. Maybe she made you study your homework while other girls studied the buttons on their cell phones and just “hung out.” Maybe she gave you a reason to shoot a little higher, and jump a little farther and run a little faster.
Are you living up to her demands? If you’re not, why not? Maybe that girl running around in your brain is ready to go for the toughest challenge in the county. By becoming a Young Marine and know what it’s like to a County Patriot.
And maybe she’s wondering if you’ll take the challenge. She has no fear of taking chances. Perhaps neither do you.
Become one of us and you’ll never run with the pack again. You’ll be stronger, smarter, quicker, a standout anywhere. You’ll belong to the most elite youth organization in Aroostook County. Honor, pride, commitment, the County Patriots, and you will forever serve notice that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. Hoo rah!
The challenge is to give it all you’ve got. You’d have to force yourself beyond your own limits. That is what success is all about. To become a Young Marine, you must be willing to run without a finish line. You must believe in yourself.
You will have 13 weeks of basic training at the National Guard Armory in Caribou, Maine. The time and place to rediscover yourself. Here, you’ll sweat, stumble and be yelled at. You’ll grit your teeth and get back up, keeping the faith. Because if you don’t give up on you, you won’t.
From the moment you see that “big red door” to the second you meet your “Drill instructor,” you’ll be challenged. In the classroom. In the drill hall. You’ll learn the history and traditions of the Young Marines and your country. You will start becoming an exceptional changed version of yourself.
With new found endeavor, you’ll look and feel healthier. Just in time to wear one of the world’s most respected uniforms. The Young Marines uniform. In an unforgettable graduation ceremony. Yours.
Once you complete Basic Training, the sky is the limit. As you grow in rank and skill, greater opportunities for advanced training and growth will come.
Always remember the soul of the Young Marine is the intelligent individual. The more mentally fit you become, the more valuable you are to yourself. “So build your brain.”
OK! So what does it mean to be a female Young Marine when most Young Marines are male? It means equal expectations. Advancement based on performance. Not gender. It means earning the respect of all Young Marines.
So you gave those doors a serious push, and changed your life. Simply put: “When you have the ambition, anything is possible.”
Do you have what it takes?
Never forget that girl inside. The one who made you unafraid to try new things, and take new risks. The one who instilled in you a hatred of failure and a love of success. The one who will always urge you to become your extreme self.
“Be one of the few, the proud, the County Patriots, Young Marines.”
If you’ve read this, just perhaps you can see yourself as a Young Marine. Give it some serious through before you take the leap. And if you do, set your mind on becoming a member of the most elite youth organization in northern Maine, don’t let anything stop you.
Because we’re looking for a few good Young Women. And we hope we find you.
“Semper Fi.”
Craig A. Fay
Presque Isle
