Tennessee Youth Program Recognized As Best In Region

The Young Marines, a national youth organization, has named the Mid-Cumberland Young Marines the Division 3 Unit of the Year. The unit meets in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, and the Unit Commander is Charles B. Ware.

The Young Marines is a youth education and service program for boys and girls, age 8 through high school graduation. It promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members. The program focuses on character building, leadership, and a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

The Mid Cumberland Young Marines is the top unit in Division 3 which includes six states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. It is comprised of 20 youth members and guided by eight adult volunteers.

“I was honored and overjoyed that our unit received this award,” said Unit Commander Charles Ware. “We're just a small unit in middle Tennessee with limited resources. Our unit really struggled during the pandemic, but the kids remained loyal to the program and continued to work in the community. This award validates everything that the kids work for and proves that persistence overcomes adversity.”

The Mid Cumberland Young Marines is actively involved in the community bringing awareness of drug usage and uncertainty brought about by the global pandemic. Youth members participated in several community events including a state-wide initiative involving church leaders, government agencies, and youth groups. Its goal was to bring awareness of the lasting effects that the pandemic has had on the youth in the community.

Mount Juliet was devastated by a recent tornado. Unit Commander Ware organized an outreach event the involved all the units in the battalion. The Young Marines served their neighbors by cleaning up debris from homes, organizing trash pickups, and preparing food for workers.

“As part of a community event to honor local military veterans, my unit was asked to present a flag and/or military branch hat to former veterans who live in a local nursing home,” Ware said. “One of my youngest Young Marines, nine-year-old YM/Pvt Bentley Wilson, walked up to a veteran, presented him with the flag and hat, and then saluted. The 94-year-old WW2 veteran started crying. Then he stood up out of his wheelchair and saluted back to the Young Marine. Trust me when I say, ‘There was not a dry eye in the facility.’ This, to me, is what this organization represents and why I love it so much.”

“The Mid-Cumberland Young Marines has done extraordinary work in Mount Juliet and are so deserving of this recognition,” said Col William P. Davis USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. “Its youth members and adult volunteers show great devotion to the community and reverence to veterans. The unit successfully promotes a healthy drug-free lifestyle which is a foundation of the Young Marines program. I offer my sincere congratulations to an outstanding unit."

For more information about the Mid-Cumberland Young Marines, call Adjutant Teresa Glaskox at 615-804-4176. The unit’s website is: https://youngmarines.org/unit/midcumberland/page.

About the Young Marines

The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through high school graduation. 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 235 units with 5,700 youth and 2,100 adult volunteers in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Japan, and affiliates in a host of other countries.

For more information, visit the official website at: https://youngmarines.org.