Local Young Marines group wins award for anti-drug, healthy lifestyle efforts
The Miramar Young Marines received the Enrique “Kiki” Camarena Award from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The award acknowledges the youth group’s initiatives to minimize drug use by educating the group and peer-to-peer position modeling.
The team was a single of six units across the nation that acquired the award for their “drug need reduction initiatives.”
The Miramar chapter is portion of the Young Marines, a nationwide youth leadership and services system for ages 8 by way of higher college. The nonprofit fosters the mental, moral and physical enhancement of its users, who are ordinarily ages 8 as a result of 18. The application focuses on character building, self-discipline, leadership and a healthy, drug-totally free way of life.
The award is named in memory of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a DEA particular agent who was murdered in 1985 at the age of 37. Camarena had served in the Maritime Corps prior to joining the DEA.
Young Maritime units are judged on drug demand reduction hrs, curriculum, and their perform in reaching out to the local community to consist of friends and many others.
Units can enter photographs, movies, endorsements, proclamations and other demonstrations of their drug desire reduction attempts. The most effective a few entries for every division are despatched to the DEA’s headquarters, and a winner from each and every division is selected.
The Miramar chapter, which is led by Youthful Marines Cmdr. Bret Righthouse of Rancho Peñasquitos, logged in 650 drug need instruction hours final yr, along with much more than 5,850 community company hrs and experienced gained 324 ribbons. The chapter, which features associates from North County and all over San Diego, was named Division Unit of the Calendar year in 2020.
The award was announced at the the latest Younger Marines Annual Grownup Leaders’ Convention in St. Charles, Mo. Leigh Dick of Vista, division commander of the Youthful Marines 6th Division of which the Miramar team is a portion, accepted the award.