By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The St. John the Baptist Parish contingent of the Young Marines recently returned from a nationwide convention with an extra special piece of hardware showing the dedication of the platoon’s leader.

Unit Commander Brian Bertrand, who has helmed the program since its inception, was named Adult Volunteer of the Year for Division 4. Bertrand was one of 10 adults in the running from Division 4, which includes 45 units across the south.

“It makes me proud, but this is not an award for me,” Bertrand said. “I have an amazing staff of parents and others who have helped me make this possible. As far as I’m concerned, this is a staff award.”

Bertrand said the award shows how much the St. John Parish Unit has done in such little time. The program, which began in 2010, has grown into a popular youth group that now includes nearly 60 boys and girls from the parish who assist in an assortment of activities throughout the year.

“Our division director now has his eyes on us,” Bertrand said. “He has seen what we do here. He has told us that our unit is the model for how the Young Marines Program is supposed to run.”

Bertrand said his unit narrowly missed out on Unit of the Year, as it finished behind a group from Waco, Texas. However, that Waco unit has a special connection to the St. John Unit.

“That is the unit that we helped this past year with a clothing drive,” Bertrand said. “We supplied clothes to them so that they could help families affected by wildfires. They deserved it.”

In addition to assisting at parish events and speaking to fellow classmates, Bertrand said his platoons are showing vast improvement in the classroom setting.

“About 90 percent of all of our members are on the honor roll in school and all are making passing grades,” he said. “Some of the older ones are even starting to get small jobs now because of the work they have done in the Young Marines. That kind of stuff keeps me going.”