[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 62 (Monday, April 27, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E978-E979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE YOUNG MARINES

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                       HON. CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 27, 2009

  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
the 50th Anniversary of the Young Marines. I am honored to represent 
the proud and patriotic City of Waterbury, Connecticut where the first 
Young Marines Unit was founded in 1959 by members of the Brass City 
Memorial Detachment of the Marine Corps League. Just three years later, 
the ranks of Waterbury's Young Marines had swelled to 1,500 and spread 
to 9 other cities all because of the fine young men from Waterbury.
  In 1974, Waterbury's own Young Marine program was chartered as a 
subsidiary organization of the Marine Corps League, whose mission is to 
preserve the traditions and promote the interests of one of our very 
finest institutions, the United States Marine Corps.
  The Young Marines embody our core values as Americans--honesty, 
fairness, courage, respect, loyalty, and love of country. These 
principles are instilled on the Young Marines by the steady hand of 
hundreds of volunteers from communities all over the country, many of 
whom are former, retired, Active Duty, or Reservist Marines who believe 
passionately in the values they learned during their service. I can 
think of no better mentors for these youngsters.
  Many of my district's finest and most involved citizens are products 
of the Young Marines; some went on to join our nation's Armed Forces, 
others found another way to serve their community. In 1960, a young man 
named Sam Beamon joined the Young Marines with his brothers. After 
graduating from high school, he went on to serve honorably in the 
United States Marine Corps in Vietnam. Sam is now active in many 
veterans' organizations and is the State Commandant of the Marine Corps 
League, Department of Connecticut.
  Since its inception, the Young Marines have sponsored many 
initiatives to improve their communities. I stand here honored to 
represent those seminal Young Marines from Waterbury, Connecticut whose 
organization went on to take a leadership role in the U.S. Marine Youth 
Drug Demand Reduction Program in 1993. This community-based program 
sought to reduce the impact of harmful drugs on our communities and 
encouraged other youths to live a drug-free lifestyle. The values of 
this program are perfectly aligned with those of the Young Marines, and 
communities around the country are lucky to have such respected 
advocates for clean and healthy living.
  In 2006, the Young Marines, now a nationally respected organization, 
conducted the Veterans Appreciation Week campaign, which sought to 
challenge Young Marines throughout the country to dedicate some of 
their time to honor our nation's veterans and to demonstrate, through 
their actions, their sincere appreciation for our veterans' service to 
our country. In a time when fewer Americans seem to be aware of the 
sacrifices that our veterans made, I am glad that we can look to the 
Young Marines to provide leadership on how we should honor those who 
have served.
  Here, on this the 50th Anniversary of this vital and impressive 
organization, we are reminded of its mission statement: the Young 
Marines' mission is to positively impact America's future by providing 
quality youth development programs for boys and girls that nurture and 
develop its members into responsible citizens who enjoy, and promote, a 
healthy, drug-free lifestyle. On Saturday April 25th, Young Marines and 
former Young Marines from across the nation came to the organization's 
birthplace to join several of the members of the Marine Corps League 
Brass City Memorial Detachment who established the Young Marines. I 
would like to congratulate Ray Bozzuto, Art Corcoran, Roland Hamel, 
Tony Szantyr, Ed Zuraitis, and the other founding members on the legacy 
of patriotism and civic

[[Page E979]]

involvement that their idea produced. With a half century of 
overwhelming success, I think it's safe to say, ``job well done.''

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