LAPLACE – The third Young Marines Ball for the St. John the Baptist Parish unit was held last Saturday.
The ball celebrated the birthday of the Young Marines National Program that started Oct. 17, 1965. Young Marine units across the country celebrated the birthday with yearly awards and birthday cake.
Individual awards were given to several Young Marines Saturday, including: Kenjatte Cannon, who won Young Marine of the Year; Kenyatte Cannon, who won the Lt. Col. Joseph Lucia Award for leadership; James Perilloux, who won the Stephanie Nikki Wilking Award for community service; and Haley Hicks, who won the Octavio “Ox” Gonzales Award for outstanding teamwork.
The unit also handed out two awards this year honoring the memories of Deputies Brandon Nielsen and Jeremy Triche, who were tragically killed in an ambush last year. DaShawn August won the Brandon Nielsen Award for displaying the qualities of a good role model, and Logan Walker won the Jeremy Triche Award for being the most improved Young Marine.
Danny Hicks won the Adult Volunteer of the Year Award.
In addition to the individual awards, the unit as a whole earned the Fulcrum Shield Award, given by the Department of Defense, for its efforts in preventing drug use through education about its dangers.
The St. John Parish Young Marines will be holding another joyous celebration today as its Delta recruits graduate in Regala Gym. The ceremony starts at 11 a.m.