YOUTH SPOTLIGHT: FROM THE BLOCK TO THE CORPS — MAHNTAO “TAO” NELSON FINDS PURPOSE IN THE MARINES

May 3, 2026

By Vivian LaMoore, Inaajimowin Editor

Mahntao Nelson knows exactly where his path could have led. Just a few years ago, the Hinckley-Finlayson graduate admits he was drifting. School was not a priority. He skipped classes, acted out, and spent time running the streets with friends and smoking weed. Teachers warned he might not graduate.

Today, Nelson stands on a very different path. After graduating from Hinckley-Finlayson High School in June 2025, he completed United States Marine Corps boot camp and is now preparing to serve overseas as a United States Marine communications specialist.

His journey from struggling teenager to Marine is one he hopes other young people can learn from.

"I knew if I didn't lock in and figure it out, then it was over," Nelson said.

Nelson's childhood included both stability and challenge. He spent most of his younger years with the Kappauf family in Cloverdale, who were granted legal guardianship of him and raised him from infancy through his mid-teens. He describes that time as an innocent, "perfect" childhood growing up in the country and enjoying a carefree life. It's all he knew, and at the time it was all he wanted.

But as he grew older, life became more complicated. COVID-19 disrupted routines, family circumstances changed, and Nelson began struggling both at home and in school.

"Starting at 14 years old I got kicked out of school a lot," he said candidly. "I would act out in class and mess with teachers. I just didn't have a plan."

Sports were one of the few things that kept him grounded. Nelson played football and loved it, though he jokes that in his younger years he was "chunky and the slowest on the football team."

Football meant everything to him until an injury during his senior year changed everything.

"I was in gym class playing dodgeball, got mad and punched the wall," he said. "I broke my hand and that ended my football career."

Without sports to anchor him, Nelson said he slipped further off track, skipping school, smoking weed with friends, and falling behind in class.

"I wasn't going to graduate," he said. "Teachers were telling me I was falling too far behind. It was getting scary." One moment finally forced Nelson to confront the direction his lite was heading.

"I broke down at school one day," he said. "I was feeling like a nothing. I realized if I didn't change, I didn’t know where I would end up."

His mother's words echoed in his mind.

"She told me, 'You have a whole bloodline on your shoulders.' That hit me hard."

With help from teachers and staff at Hinckley-Finlayson High School, Nelson focused on making up credits and finishing the coursework he needed to graduate.

At the same time, he began working on himself physically and mentally, spending time at the Meshakwad gym and working out at home.

"I got a curl bar and started doing pushups — my daily 50 - and stuff in my room every night," he said. "I would blast my Xbox and just do pushups. And I ran sometimes miles no matter the weather. That's how I coped."

During those difficult years, Nelson also found guidance through youth programming at the community center, where he began reconnecting with the Mille Lacs Band community.

"I wanted to connect with my people and my culture," he said. "I loved coming here. It became a family to me." He credits several mentors who encouraged him during that time, including Stan Nayquonabe.

"Stan became a mentor to me," Nelson said. "I wanted to be like him."

He leaned heavily on his friends and found bonds that he feels will last a lifetime. He gave a lot of credit to his best friends Ava and Tecumseh — "he is the GOAT."

Outside of school, Nelson also spent time helping his grandmother on the Reservation with errands and household tasks.

Gradually, Nelson began turning things around. His grades improved, and he even made the honor roll while maintaining his workout routine.

Still unsure about his future, Nelson considered several options after high school, including attending college at Fond du Lac or joining the military.

The moment that ultimately shaped his decision came during a senior class trip to Washington, D.C.

While visiting historic sites, one phrase caught his attention: "Freedom is not free."

Later that evening, sitting with friends at the Hard Rock Café in D.C., Nelson began looking up information about the Marine Corps on his phone.

"I thought I would sign up when I could do ten pullups," he said. "But when I looked at the requirements, I realized I could pass them right then."

Later that evening, encouraged by his friend Ava, Nelson pulled out his phone and texted a recruiter from a seat in the Ford Theatre, setting up a meeting for the following week. He now admits he doesn't even remember the show.

"The rest of the D.C. trip just felt different after that," he said. "I knew what I wanted to do."

He thought about his future. "I wanted to do something bigger than myself. The Marine Corps just tied up every loose end for me. It was the answer to everything for me. And I knew I needed to stop smoking. That was holding me back from a lot of stuff. I knew if I enlisted in the military, I had no choice but to stop smoking. If I would have kept living the life I was living, I would be nothing."

Nelson officially enlisted in the Marine Corps on April 10, 2025, at 17 years old while still a senior in high school. He and his mom met the recruiter at Tobies Restaurant in Hinckley and signed the papers.

Marine Corps boot camp is widely known as one of the most demanding training programs in the U.S. military, and Nelson said the experience tested him in ways he had never faced before.

"It's more mental than anything," he said. "Boot camp was tough, but I got through it."

The moment he earned the Eagle, Globe and Anchor (EGA) - the symbol of the Marine Corps - made every challenge worthwhile.

"I remember waking up after earning my EGA," he said "For the first time, every day felt worth waking up because I knew I had earned it."

Nelson graduated from boot camp on Nov. 14 before continuing his Marine Combat Training and his Military Occupational Specialty training, graduating near the top of his class as a transmission radio operator.

Now a Private First Class, Nelson is preparing to report to Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan, where he will serve as part of a deployable Marine Corps logistics communications unit.

He understands the responsibility that comes with wearing the uniform.

"I knew when I enlisted. There has been a war on terrorism — forever it seems. Even though when I enlisted it was peacetime Marine Corps. But everyone who enlists in the Marine Corps knows exactly what they are getting into. I knew, too." For Nelson, that responsibility carries a deeper meaning.

"I want to be a warrior for my people," he said. "That's the whole point of it."

Although he is proud of the path he has chosen, leaving family and friends behind will be the hardest part.

"I'll miss everyone," he said. "My grandma, my friends, my cousins, uncles, aunties, my whole family."

Still, Nelson has no regrets.

"There's nothing but a bright future ahead."If he could tell his younger self — the 9th grader who was smarting off in school, getting kicked out, smoking weed, and all the crazy kid stuff he did — he would tell his younger self, "You know you have it in you to do anything you want. You can do anything. Just do it."