Young Marines inspires local youth

When I was six years old, I was woken by a group of kids calling cadence while running. I ran outside to see why they were so loud and saw their uniforms. I went to ask how I could join and was told you had to be at least eight years of age to join the Young Marines.  Fast forward to January 2020, I was finally old enough to join the Young Marines.  After joining the program, I learned that the Young Marines is a youth group that focuses on teaching discipline, teamwork, and leadership using the U.S. Marine Corps customs and courtesies.

The Young Marine program likes to support their Veterans including the Navajo Code Talkers.  Initially, 29 Navajo Men enlisted in the U.S. Marines and helped create a code based on the complex, unwritten Navajo language.  The code primarily used word association by assigning a Navajo word to key phrases and military tactics. It is estimated around 400 Navajo men served in the U.S. Marines as code talkers.

Here's how my trip to Arizona for code talker day went.  Six Young Marines from three different units in the metroplex gathered to drive to Arizona for National Code Talker Day.  We stopped in New Mexico for the night and toured the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). A fun fact that I learned on the tour of NMMI was that as a student there you don't have to go into the military after graduating. On the first day in Arizona, we ran a DDR (Drug Demand Reduction) 5K.  During the run, we were asked DDR questions and were paired up with Young Marines from all over the United States that we had never met to complete team building activities. One team building activity that we did was creating a spider web with 550 cords wound around trees and then we had to pass through an opening without touching any of the cords. Once you got to the other side you had to help your teammates. One of the DDR activities was a toothpaste poster.  You start by writing what’s most important to you, my group chose God.  Then you smear toothpaste all over it to show how bad drugs can ruin your life.  Then the Young Marine Cadre said to try to put the toothpaste back in the tube.  Of course, it was impossible to get it back in the tube by only using your hands; this was to show how hard it is to fix your life after using drugs and alcohol.  The next day was spent with a group of active-duty U.S. Marines.  We climbed Window Rock (picture above on the right), which was a great experience, but it was a little hard. After that, we provided Community Service by pulling weeds at the Navajo Nation Zoo, and then spent the rest of the day at the Navajo Nation Museum. The Navajo Nation Zoo is unique because it is free to everyone, and they are known for taking in injured animals.  Our last day in Window Rock was spent participating in a wreath laying ceremony and attending the Navajo Code Talker Stand Down.  During the ceremony Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed a proclamation declaring August 14th National Code Talker Day for the Navajo Nation.  I also had the honor of meeting and taking a picture with the youngest living Navajo code talker, Peter McDonald (picture on the right). 

I enjoy being in the Young Marine program because it teaches me discipline, to stay off drugs, and to meet new people. I’m looking forward to November 2024 when I will be attending leadership school in El Paso, TX so that I am able to be promoted to the rank of YM/SGT.  I am also excited about the trip to Hawaii in December 2025 in remembrance of Pearl Harbor.  If you’d like to learn more about the program, volunteer with the program or want to make a donation please contact the Lone Star Young Marines by emailing lonestar@youngmarines.org or calling Crystal Farris at 469-912-6454.