Parris Island, South Carolina
Marine Corps. Recruit Depot

Awesome...totally awesome.
Graduation for our families Marine....’Papito”...on Jan.10 was attended by 21 family members. We rented vans and traveled hours and miles to be a part of this momentous happening.
There was approx. 475 graduating Marines. Most would go on active duty but a few chooses to be in the reserve, as did our Papito. The Marines, as do other military branches, offers the opportunity to get more education, training etc. as a member of the reserves.

Honor, Courage, and Commitment are the basic values that the recruits had to find within themselves in order to earn the title....Marine.
It was a proud day as an American to see the success of these 475 young people. Two of the Six Platoons Graduating were females.
The Parade Field was an awesome sight of learned discipline, regimentation, dignity and.....pride. It was an Honor to have a family member be a part of this great tradition of graduates.

The core values for graduates are:
Honor....Honor guides Marines to exemplify the ultimate in ethical and moral behavior: to never lie, cheat or steal: to abide by an uncompromising code of integrity, respect human dignity and respect for others. The qualities of maturity, dedication, trust and dependability commits Marines to act responsibly: to be accountable for their actions, to fulfill their obligations; and to hold others accountable for their actions.
Courage....Courage is the mental, moral and physical strength ingrained in Marines. It is the inner strength that enables a Marine to do what is right, to adhere to a higher standard of personal conduct: and to make tough decisions under stress and pressure.
Commitment.....Is the spirit of determination and dedication found in Marines. It inspires the unrelenting determination to achieve a standard of excellence in every endeavor. It is the ingredient that enables 24-hour a day dedication to Corps and country.

Marine Carlos Manuel Fernandez III.....Is our family hero!
He walks in a long line of military family members. Both of his Grandfathers were career Military men.
We also have two others in our family that are on active duty.
Believe it or not, they are a father and son team.
Fred and Chris Fernandez are on active duty now....just waiting for the next event in military history.

Yes, America is still the ...Home of the Free, Land of the Brave!
God Bless America.....And all our military servers....
We Salute You!!!

...To see a photo of our new Marine go to:
photos.yahoo.com/iwg2003