ADRIAN — Nicholas Trame of Clayton, a master sergeant in the Lenawee County Young Marines, recently earned the Distinguished Order of Merit, the highest honor the program can award.

Trame, 16, is the first Young Marine in Michigan to receive the Distinguished Order of Merit, and one of only two in the chapter’s 10-state region. He was presented with the honor on March 13.

The Distinguished Order of Merit is intended to recognize those who have demonstrated, through superlative example, the values the program considers worthy of special recognition.

Trame spent three years working toward the award. He attended all three levels of leadership schools that are offered through the Young Marine program, and also had to earn a minimum of 11 out of 16 additional ribbons emphasizing discipline, leadership and teamwork. He completed 12. He was also required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of community service, and surpassed this amount by completing 674 hours over three years. 

For his service project for the award, Trame chose to build eight benches for two Toledo apartment complexes for low-income people and people with disabilities. He chose the project in response to the fact that there wasn’t much space at these apartment complexes for the residents to enjoy the outdoors. 

He designed the benches to have ergonomic backrests along with a taller seat height and armrest to make sitting and standing easier, especially for older occupants. He spent two weeks from start to finish building the benches, with some help from his stepfather, Eric, and after delivering them, was able to see them in use.

“This was a great experience for me to watch a family with young children come out to the benches and the children climbed on them to have a seat with their mother.  Knowing that the mother will have a place to sit to watch her children play in the future is a very rewarding feeling,” he said.

Trame is a junior at Sand Creek High School.