Division Three of the Young Marinesyouth organization’s Drug Demand Reduction Program, which includes the South East Tennessee Area Unit in Chattanooga, is the winner of the 2014 Annual Fulcrum Shield Award for Excellence in Youth Anti-Drug Education from the Department of Defense.
Defense Department personnel presented the award to Division Three Commander, Sergeant Major John Gionet, USMC (Ret), and several Young Marines on Thursday, Oct. 16, during a special ceremony held in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, Army Navy Dr.
and Fern St., Arlington, Va.
The award is given annually by the Department of Defense, recognizing military-affiliated youth organizations around the world that have made intensive efforts at spreading anti-drug messages in local communities.
Division Three encompasses 55 individual Young Marines units located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The unit commanders throughout the division agreed to combine efforts into one drug awareness program and, as a result, more than 600 Division Three Young Marines volunteered more than 3,670 hours reaching 3,775 local organizations including schools, scouting organizations, church groups and youth organizations. In addition, 260 registered adults volunteered more than 2,680 hours.
“We acquired nearly 16,000 pledges to be drug free,” said Division Commander Gionet. “As a division, we requested 134 proclamations from local governments, and we received 134 proclamations. Our Young Marines were invited to a majority of government meetings to receive the proclamations directly from mayors and governors.”
“The Fulcrum Shield Award is the culmination of our work fighting the demand for drugs through peer education of kids age 8 – 18,” said Michael Kessler, national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. “The award recognizes the drug demand education that our Young Marines share with their communities during Red Ribbon Week. I am very proud, and I speak for all Young Marines and adult leaders when I thank the Department of Defense for this important honor.”
Drug Demand Reduction training is a year-round requirement of the core curriculum of the Young Marines; each Young Marine receives three hours of Drug Demand Reduction education per quarter.
Supervised by adult volunteers, the Young Marines are responsible for the creation, design and execution of viable anti-drug programs tailored to each community. The members decide the best strategies for peer education while considering the trends of drug abuse in each individual town or city.