Association
Annual scholarship
National-level awards given each year by YAT-YAS Association to support eligible students connected to our community.
Established for those who rode the iron ashore
YAT-YAS Association
Preserving the legacy of the Alligator Marines for those who served, those serving, and those still to come through family, fellowship, and the next generation.
Amphibious vehicle community · LVT through ACV
Exhibit I
About YAT-YAS
The tracks motto
YAT-YAS is the amphibious tracks community motto — You ain't tracks, you ain't shit. — the call shared among Alligator Marines who manned the iron from ship to shore.
It belongs to the Assault Amphibian lineage: 2d Tracks at Camp Lejeune, 3d Tracks at Camp Pendleton, and 4th Tracks of Marine Forces Reserve — the battalions that carried LVT, LVTP, AAV, and today’s ACV. The motto is not a generic veterans tagline; it is the identity of the tracks community itself.
This site gathers that heritage — history, fellowship, and the next generation of the amphibious-vehicle story — under the name the community already knows.
Exhibit II
Heritage
The iron lineage
One community across generations of amphibious vehicles — from Alligator to ACV.
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1940sLVT
Landing Vehicle Tracked
The Alligator that carried Marines from ship to shore across coral and surf — the beginning of the lineage.
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PostwarLVTP
Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Personnel
Personnel carriers that refined amphibious assault doctrine for a new generation of operations.
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Modern eraAAV
Assault Amphibious Vehicle
The workhorse of late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century ship-to-shore movement.
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TodayACVP
Amphibious Combat Vehicle — Personnel
The personnel carrier of the modern lineage — 8×8 wheeled, troop-carrying, and still writing its story.
Exhibit III
Fellowship
Family & gatherings
Reunions, chapter gatherings, and quiet remembrance — where those who served, those serving, and the families who waited reconnect.
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I
Association & chapter events
Welcoming veterans, active duty, and families into shared tables, ceremonies, and the long conversation of the community.
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II
Stories for the next generation
Keeping the Alligator Marine tradition present — not as museum glass alone, but as living memory told aloud.
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III
Standing with one another
Mutual support when a brother or sister — or their household — needs the strength of the Association.
Exhibit IV
Announcements
News
Updates from the Association — gatherings, scholarships, and the work of preserving the amphibious lineage.
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Association formation underway
Placeholder: Articles of incorporation have been filed. Further updates on entity status and next organizational steps will appear here.
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Founding roster to be published
Placeholder: Names of founding members will be listed on the Roster exhibit once the Association’s initial roll call is finalized.
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Scholarship program details forthcoming
Placeholder: Association and chapter annual scholarship criteria, deadlines, and application guidance will be announced on this page.
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First fellowship gathering — date TBD
Placeholder: Information about an inaugural Association or chapter gathering will be posted here when venue and timing are confirmed.
Replace these placeholder items with real Association news as announcements are ready.
Exhibit V
Founding members
Roster
Names of the Association’s founding members will be entered here. Placeholder lines are reserved for the roll call.
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
- Name
Replace each “Name” line with a founding member when the roster is ready.
Exhibit VI
Next generation
Scholarships
Investing in education for the children and dependents of the amphibious-vehicle community.
Chapters
Chapter annual scholarships
Local chapters may offer their own yearly scholarships, extending fellowship into classrooms and campuses nearby.
Help sustain scholarships, gatherings, and the living legacy of the amphibious-vehicle community.
Donate / SupportApplication details, deadlines, and giving instructions will be posted as programs are finalized.
Exhibit VII
Contact
Write the Association
Questions about membership, events, scholarships, or giving? Send a message below.
- Website
- yatyaslegacy.com
- Members