The Lewis & Clark Young Marines of the Marine Corps League was chartered in Vancouver, WA on October 22, 2002 by Young Marine National Headquarters.
We are proud to be one of the largest unit in the US with nearly 60 Young Marines and 25 Registered Adult Staff.
We currently meet at Footprints Church of the Nazarene in Ridgefield, WA 98642.
We drill every other Saturday from 0840-1600 hours (8:40am to 4:00pm). We meet for morning formation and either drill there or get on our bus and transport to our drill activity. Final formation and pickup is normally at Footprints unless otherwise announced.
We have optional Study Nights every Thursday from 1900-2100 hours (7:00 to 9:00pm) at Footprints Church. Study nights are an opportunity for YMs to study YM material and get “sign offs” for promotion. It’s also a great time to get school homework done or get extra help if needed.
How do we get around?
If a drill is scheduled for a location other than Footprints, which happens quite frequently, our Young Marines are transported from Footprints after morning formation. We have 2 Trailways buses, 1 short bus, 1 suburban and a cargo trailer. The vehicles are well maintained by our Transportation Team and all of our drivers are properly licensed and insured.
Occasionally, we will have an event on a non-drill day. In that case we may choose to have everyone meet at the activity location and then go home from there. For example, on the Thursday evening before Memorial Day, we all meet at Willamette National Cemetery to plant flags for our Veterans. After the flag planting ceremony, everyone goes their separate ways.
What do we do?
That’s a hard question to answer because we are a very active unit. Below is a list of just some of the events and activities we participated in last couple of years.
Encampments (Unit trips and camps)
Operations Southern Legacy (OSL) – The Unit and select Staff flew to South Carolina and stayed aboard the USS Yorktown for 3 days and toured Patriots Point and surrounding area. Then they drove to MCRD Parris Island and stayed at real Marine Corps barracks with real drill instructors. We are proud to say, most of our Young Marines paid their own way through the fundraising activities throughout the year. These large encampments are scheduled ever 2 years.
Operations Sighting Sasquatch (OSS) – A 2 day encampment at Camp Hope in Battle Ground, WA.
Operation Winter Warrior – A 2 day winter encampment which includes outdoor camping, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, sledding, winter survival skills and of course, lots of snowball fights.
Operation Belleau Wood (OBW)– A 3 day summer encampment which includes outdoor camping, swimming, Land Nav, outdoor survival skills, water gun fights and more.
Community Service-Check out our Community Service page for more information
Here is a short list of fun activities, because all work and no play……
- OMSI
- Ice skating
- Laser tag
- Canoeing/rafting
- Shooting
- Clackamas Aquatic Park
- Haunted Corn Maze
- Starlight Parade
- Washington State Capital
- Mother-Daughter Tea
- Young Marine Birthday Ball
- Dragon Boat Racing
- Family Fun Day
- Easter Egg Hunt
- Trunk-or-Treat
- Christmas Sock Exchange & Party