17-02-2025
Colorado Young Marines honored for a year of community service
THORNTON, Colo. (KDVR) — They're not in the military yet, but they're well on their way. The Foothills Young Marines spent the last year volunteering in the community and leading by example.
Now they're being rewarded for their hard work. They were just named Unit of the Year for the region. They'll now compete with five other units from across the country for National Unit of the Year.
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'The Young Marines is a youth program for boys and girls ages 8 to 18 or completion of high school. We promote different life values and skills, citizenship,' said Nick Stone, unit commander.
'And some of our notable achievements this year included partnering with the VFW to conduct the VFW airlift where we loaded 16,000 pounds of food that was distributed across the state. We've manned hydration tables at the Children's Hospital 5K. We've helped paint houses for disabled veterans in the Friends for Firestone. We always work with the Honor Flight, so we've greeted each and every veteran home on the last five Honor Flights. So we've done a lot of community service,' he added.
Members of the Young Marines often go on to attend service academies like West Point and serve in the armed forces.
'In the future, I do plan on being in the Marine Corps. And I truly do believe that this unit will help me develop leadership skills, integrity, teamwork, and most importantly, a connection with other people,' said James Hickey, a Young Marine who was also honored as Young Marine of the Year for the Foothills unit.
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'My friends and family are very, very supportive of this. They think it's actually really great that I'm taking this opportunity to go and express myself in this way,' said Galena Sheehan, a member of the Foothills Young Marines.
Because of their hard work, we thought they deserved another honor. That's why we've named the Foothills Young Marines our FOX31 Serving Those Who Serve Heroes of the Month for February 2025. The unit will receive a plaque from our Serving Those Who Serve sponsors at American Furniture Warehouse and Plumbline Services.
To nominate a veteran, active duty service member or others for our Hero of the Month honors, visit the nomination page.
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