Young Marines SgtMaj Alex Loria Awarded Jimmie Trimble Scholarship

Young Marines Sergeant Major Alex Loria, of Chantilly, received the Jimmie Trimble Scholarship from the Young Marines youth organization at the American Veterans Center in Washington, D.C. Loria is a member of the Col. Wesley Fox unit based in Sterling, VA, under the command of Terri Loria.

“It is a huge honor to be selected,” Loria said. “I learned about Jimmy Trimble after hearing of this scholarship, and his story is a truly inspiring one. I admire someone who would put their dreams on hold in order to serve a greater cause. That is the character of a truly selfless person.”

Loria joined the Young Marines at age nine when he was in the 4th grade. He values the maturity he has gained because of the program.

“It’s taught me discipline and integrity, traits that are hard to teach,” he said. “The program has shown me that I can do things I never imagined I could like lead a group of 100+ kids, and because of that, my confidence has grown through my years in the program.”

Loria has also learned skills he will be able to use the rest of his life, and he has witnessed the positive effect his actions have had on others.

“There are a lot of things I love about the Young Marines,” Loria said. “I love talking with and meeting with veterans, helping the community in which I live, making new friends across the country, and going to unique places with unique opportunities.”

Besides being a Jimmy Trimble scholarship recipient, Loria was awarded the Distinguished Order of Merit, the highest award that a Young Marine can earn. He has also been Young Marine of the Year for his unit twice and Battalion Young Marine of the Year.

“I received numerous achievement ribbons over the years, but that wasn’t the purpose behind my actions,” Loria said. “I’ve earned Salesman of the Year a couple times, Perfect Attendance, Good Conduct, but these were all things I would have done anyway, not just to earn an award.”

He attended all three leadership schools – junior, senior and adult. As part of SPACES, he’s been to the Space Academy and Aviation Challenge Mach II in Huntsville, AL. He traveled to Arizona twice for Navajo Code Talkers Day. He enjoyed a Cattle Drive in Montana, and he participated in the New York United Nations trip. He also attended the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor celebration in Hawaii.

As a Jimmie Trimble Scholarship winner, Loria will travel to Guam and Iwo Jima next spring.

“Going on this trip is the perfect finale to what will be just over eight years in this great program,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to traveling to Iwo with veterans who were actually there. I feel as though that will be a unique experience and one that will affect and be remembered the rest of my life.”

Loria lives in Chantilly, VA, with his mother Terri Loria and his sister Lauren Loria who is also a Young Marine. His grandfather served in the Army during the Vietnam War, and his uncle and aunt were in the Navy.

He attends Chantilly High School where he is a member of the National Honor Society. He is planning on attending college and pursuing a Master’s Degree immediately following college graduation. Loria wants to be an Aeronautical Engineer and work on both planes and spacecraft and perhaps one day become an astronaut.

The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501c(3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through the completion of high school. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork and self-discipline so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Since the Young Marines’ humble beginnings in 1959 with one unit and a handful of boys, the organization has grown to over 300 units with 11,000 youth and 3,000 adult volunteers in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Germany, Japan and affiliates in a host of other countries.

For more information, visit the official website at: http://www.YoungMarines.com.