Young Marines Master Gunnery Sergeant Emma Forcier, 17, of Port Charlotte, Florida and YM Master Sergeant Walter Patton, 17, of Greenville, South Carolina were selected to receive Jimmy Trimble Scholarships from the American Veterans Center.
The honors will be bestowed during the 22nd Annual Conference of the American Veterans Center on Saturday, October 26, in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
Both scholarship winners will escort WWII veterans to Guam and Iwo Jima next spring for the Reunion of Honor which, in 2020, is the 75th anniversary of the battles. They will join eight other youth members of the Young Marines as they travel to the island of Iwo Jima which is accessible only one day a year.
The award is presented annually to two Young Marines who exemplify the fine qualities of James “Jimmy” Trimble III. Trimble was a star athlete who passed up the opportunity to play professional baseball to first serve his country in the Marines. He died at age 19 on March 1, 1945, on Iwo Jima.
“Jimmy Trimble gave up professional baseball and many other offers to serve his country,” said Col William P. Davis USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. “We are grateful to the American Veterans Center for keeping his spirit alive and for allowing the Young Marines to play a key role in that effort.”
YM/MGySgt Emma Forcier
YM/MGySgt Emma Forcier, 17, is a member of the Imagine School Young Marines located in North Port, Florida, under the command of Sgt. Steve Black. Forcier joined the Young Marines when she was 12 years old and in 7th grade.
“This scholarship is much more than a trip to Guam,” Forcier said. “It is an honor and a responsibility. The Young Marines has never let me down when it comes to helping me with my future. Through this scholarship, I will pursue my goal of going to college, and I will represent the Young Marines to the best of my abilities.
Forcier said she is very excited and thankful for the once in a lifetime opportunity of traveling to Guam and Iwo Jima.
She is the current billeting Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Florida Regiment, and she received a top 10 designation at the Advanced Leadership School. In addition, she was the lead Young Marine in creating the Young Marines reading list.
“The best part of being a Young Marine is the camaraderie and meeting other Young Marines from all around the nation and making friendships that will last a lifetime,” Forcier said. “Not only did I make friends for life, but the Young Marines has also helped open my eyes and pushed me to do all of the things that I never thought I would be capable of doing.”
In high school, she is a member of the National Honor Society and the recipient of the Navy League Theodore Roosevelt Medal of Youth. Forcier is in varsity soccer, and she is the varsity softball captain. She is the band president, and she received a superior rating in the Music Performance Assessment.
Forcier plans to become a nurse, paramedic, or a biomedical engineer. Post college, she is considering joining the Navy.
She is the daughter of Pattie and Tom Forcier. Her sister Molly was a YM/PFC until she changed schools and was no longer eligible to stay in her unit.
YM/MSgt Walter Patton
A resident of Greenville, South Carolina, Walter Patton, 17, is a member of the Upstate Young Marines located in Greenville, South Carolina, commanded by Sgt. Major James Roberts Jr. Patton joined the Young Marines at age 10 while in the 4th grade. Today he is a senior at Eastside High School in Taylors, South Carolina.
“My selection for the Jimmy Trimble Scholarship is a tremendous honor which I do not take lightly,” Patton said. “Receiving the scholarship named for such a gallant veteran of the Second World War who gave up so much for his love of country, will be something I remember as long as I live.”
With the Young Marines, Patton graduated 2nd in his class at the Advanced Leadership School (ALS), and at the same event, he received the Alumni Inspire Award. He has received awards for good citizenship, a perfect physical fitness test score, Presidential Volunteer Service, and the Marine Corps League Commendation. In addition, he was appointed his unit’s chaplain.
As part of the scholarship award, Patton will travel with other Young Marines to Guam and Iwo Jima.
“Few people have the chance to travel to these places where American sailors, soldiers, and Marines battled a relentless foe,” Patton said. “Without the men who fought, and the great victories achieved at these places, our treasured liberties may have been lost. The ranks of our WW II veterans are thinning with each passing day. While they are still with us, we must show our appreciation for their gallant deeds.”
Post high school, Patton hopes to attend the Citadel or the University of South Carolina and major in history. He may serve in the Marine Corps or Army reserves or possibly attend Marine Corps or Army OCS following completion of college. Ultimately, he hopes to utilize his passion for history as a historian with the government or National Park Service.
“My great-great uncle, 1st Lt. Robert Mazyck Mitchell, died of wounds sustained while serving with the 82nd Airborne during Operation Market Garden,” he said. “He had previously fought for 36 days at Normandy where he was awarded the Bronze Star for pulling a fellow soldier from a burning truck. Also, he was awarded the Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster after receiving a wound during the D-Day invasion.”
Walter is the son of Margaret and James Patton. He has two older sisters.