CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The Young Marines is a national youth organization for kids ages 8 through high school age that focuses on leadership, discipline, and a healthy lifestyle. Modeled after the structure of the U.S. Marine Corps — complete with a modified boot camp — the program isn’t about recruiting for the military. It’s about preparing kids to become capable, confident adults.
In Clay County, the Black Creek Young Marines unit has become a powerful example of that mission in action.
The unit is run by retired Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Mindy Wood, who has led the group for the last two years. Her son Hayden is one of its top youth leaders, a newly promoted Master Sergeant who started in the program when he was just 8 years old.
At their Clay County home, the mother and son sat down to talk about why they believe so strongly in the program, and the life lessons it’s teaching kids across the community.
‘I Just Got Promoted Two Days Ago’
Hayden’s pride in his role shows up right away.
When asked if he’s a Master Sergeant, he answers quickly and respectfully: “Yes ma’am.”
He says he just earned that rank: “I just got promoted two days ago.”
It’s a milestone that reflects years of commitment. Hayden joined the Black Creek Young Marines at age 8. Now 14, he’s spent nearly half his life in the program and says he still loves it.
“I love the program,” he says. “My favorite part is all the schools and camping trips you can go to. We go to Camp Blanding all the time. We do all the obstacle courses. We have a great time with all the Young Marines going to the lake. It’s amazing.”
Over the years, many of his friends have moved on.
“Most of my friends either got out or they retired from the Young Marines,” Hayden explains. “Most of them I still know, but they’re from all different units all over the country.”
So why hasn’t he stopped?
“I just love the program too much to stop, ma’am.,” he said.
Training for Adulthood — Not a Military Career
With all the uniforms, drills and structure, many assume the Young Marines is a pipeline straight into the armed forces. But Hayden says that’s not his plan.
“I don’t see myself being a Marine,” he says. Instead, he has his sights set on a very different path: “I want to be a saturation diver. I want to get my scuba certification, then become a saturation diver.”
That career goal has nothing to do with the military.
So why stick with such a military-style youth program?
“It prepares me for adulthood,” Hayden says.
How?
“With this program, it teaches you three main goals: discipline, teamwork and leadership.”
Those skills, he says, don’t just apply on drill weekends or at camp. He leans on them during everyday teenage challenges like schoolwork and social situations.
When he faces long hours of homework or difficult people at school, Hayden says, “I use the skills they taught me to work over those problems.”
A Mom’s Change of Heart
Mindy admits that when she first brought her 8-year-old son to the Young Marines, she wasn’t sure what to think.
“I did not [know much about the program],” she says. “He was eight years old, and I just took him there, and they just started screaming at him. And I’m like, you know, fetal position, crying, like, why? Do you not get yelled at enough at home? Why are we here?”
But something unexpected happened when they got home.
“He loved it,” she says. “And we just kept going back. I was shocked.”
Over time, she saw what the structure, expectations and mentoring were doing for her son and the other kids.
She’s also quick to clear up a major misconception about the program.
“This is not like a problem, you know, your kid has a problem with drugs or issues and you send them to something like this,” she says. “We are not something like a ‘scared straight’ program. And we are also nothing like ‘you have to join the Marine Corps or the military.’”
Bringing Back ‘Lost’ Life Skills
For Mindy, the real mission of the Black Creek Young Marines is simple: “We just want to set them up to be a functioning adult in the world.”
She worries that some basic life skills have slipped away for many teens.
“Most kids can’t even get themselves up for school these days,” she says. “They rely heavily on mom and dad at the age of 14, 15, 16 years old. And that, to me, our generation has been lost.”
The program, she says, is trying to bring some of those expectations and habits back.
“We want to get them back to shaking a hand, looking a person in the eye, being self-sufficient,” Mindy explains. “And we teach that. We teach discipline, you know, the respect about it — the shaking of hand, that firm handshake, being able to open a door for somebody.”
She says it’s also about noticing the people around you and stepping up.
“‘Hey, you dropped that, let me help you with that.’ Helping, you know, a door for an older person,” she says. “Those things that have really been lost in life, we are trying to bring those back and letting people know that there is a bigger cause than just ourselves out there.”
For Hayden, that bigger cause is his unit and the younger kids who now look up to him, just as he once looked up to older Young Marines.
For Mindy, it’s a community of families who want their children to grow into responsible, respectful adults whether or not they ever wear a real military uniform.
You can watch the full conversation with Mindy and her son Hayden below:
For families interested in learning more about the program, you can find more information about the Black Creek Young Marines in Clay County. Click here.