Stories - Tag Marine

Lt. Col. Adam Yang, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion Commanding Officer, speaks to Pfc. Alexis Banks, a Marine with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Aug. 30, 2024. Banks formerly served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army and chose to conduct an interservice transfer and join the U.S. Marine Corps. - Lt. Col. Adam Yang, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion Commanding Officer, speaks to Pfc. Alexis Banks, a Marine with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Aug. 30, 2024. Banks formerly served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army and chose to conduct an interservice transfer and join the U.S. Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. William Horsley)

From Greens to Dress Blues

With one year left in her enlistment contract in the U.S. Army, Sgt. Alexis Banks had to decide what to do with the rest of her career. She could change jobs or move to a new duty station. But in the back of her mind was a third option— joining the U.S. Marine Corps.Growing up, Alexis always admired service members and the stories they told, the

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U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Ali Abbas, a Marine with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, completes the transformation from civilian to Marine on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., July 12, 2024. To complete recruit training Abbas had to complete numerous events such as physical fitness tests, rifle qualification, obstacle courses, CBRN and rappel training, all culminating with the Crucible. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. William Horsley) - U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Ali Abbas, a Marine with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, completes the transformation from civilian to Marine on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., July 12, 2024. To complete recruit training Abbas had to complete numerous events such as physical fitness tests, rifle qualification, obstacle courses, CBRN and rappel training, all culminating with the Crucible. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. William Horsley)

A Sense of Belonging: An Iraqi born Marine’s journey to finding brotherhood

The chaos and tragedy of the war in Iraq left Audai Naser and his wife Kanat Saad with few options. The war had already forced them to move countless times, relocating from the capital of Baghdad, to the city of Kirkuk, and eventually settling in Karbala.

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N/A - U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Oluwagbemiga Omotoye, a Marine with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, is given his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor from his drill instructor, Sgt. Devon Evoldi, on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., June 29, 2024. The giving of the EGA signifies the transformation from recruit to United States Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. William Horsley)

Honor and Legacy: A South African Marine's pursuit to honor his family through military service

Staring out the window, Oluwagbemiga Omotoye saw the skyline of Washington, D.C. as his plane landed at Dulles International Airport. He and his family had traveled nearly 8,000 miles from South Africa and the city was a welcomed sight. The United States represented change and new opportunities for Omotoye, who was 17 years old at the time. His family’s desire for coming to America was simple—to gain prosperity and be able to share that with their family members who remained in South Africa.

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N/A - U.S. Marine veteran Joseph Bond accomplished his lifelong goal and graduated high school at 72 years old on June 13, 2024. Bond enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 years old before graduating high school and made a promise to his mother before she passed away that he would finish school. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christian Cortez)

A Promise to Learn

U.S. Marine veteran Joseph Bond accomplished his lifelong goal and graduated high school at 72 years old.

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N/A - Pvt. William Smith, a recruit with Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, stands with Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Joint Chief of Staff Sgt. Maj. Troy Black, Marine veterans John Weant, and Dan Kovach on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., May 31, 2024. Smith’s grandfather was killed in action during the Beirut bombing in Oct. 1983 and Weant and Kovach were two Marines he served with. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Dakota Dodd)

Filling the Gap

On Oct. 23, 1983, Cpl. Dan Kovach was manning Checkpoint 8, a small outpost near the bullet ridden American University Library building in Beirut, when he heard a loud explosion. Kovach, an infantryman with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, saw two large mushroom clouds in the sky coming from the direction of the Battalion Landing Team barracks nearly a mile away.

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N/A - Brother and Sister, Billy and Lily Membreno Paz, grew up in a tight-knit family dynamic in a family of seven. With strong El Salvadorian roots, they were surrounded by a depth of culture throughout their childhood that later influenced them to both choose to enlist into the Marine Corps. Shipping from RSS Decatur, both Billy and Lily arrived at Parris Island together, with the same goal in mind: Earn the Title of United States Marine. Training simultaneously in Bravo Company, the siblings used the motivation they found in each other and their family back home to not only earn the title, but excel in doing so. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jacqueline Akamelu)

Siblings in Life, Siblings in Service

“I would tell myself, ‘We started this together, so we’re going to finish this together’,” says PFC. Lily Membreno Paz, as she explains her experience the past 13 weeks, with her brother, Billy Membreno Paz, right by her side. Raised in a strong El Salvadorian family, from father Evelio Membreno and mother Edith Paz, Lily and Billy Membreno Paz were surrounded by a tight-knit family dynamic. Two of five siblings, Billy and Lily are the middle siblings of their family, with two older siblings, Glenda (25) and Beibis (20), and one younger sister, Denali (6). Both born in Lewisburg, Virginia in 2005 and 2006, Billy (19) and Lily (18) are close in age and inseparable in life.

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Pfc. Morgan Mathews is awarded her Eagle, Globe, and Anchor from her husband and recruiter SSgt. Charles Mathews at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Dec. 9, 2023. The EGA ceremony is one of the most important events in any Marine's life, rarely is there an opportunity for a spouse to present a new Marine with the EGA. This moment was so emotionally impactful that neither party could barely say a word. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. William Horsley) - Pfc. Morgan Mathews is awarded her Eagle, Globe, and Anchor from her husband and recruiter SSgt. Charles Mathews at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Dec. 9, 2023. The EGA ceremony is one of the most important events in any Marine's life, rarely is there an opportunity for a spouse to present a new Marine with the EGA. This moment was so emotionally impactful that neither party could barely say a word. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. William Horsley)

Mr. and Mrs. Matthews

December 9, 2023, Pfc. Morgan Mathews is awarded her Eagle, Globe, and Anchor from her husband and recruiter SSgt. Charles Mathews. The EGA ceremony is one of the most important events in any Marines life, rarely is there an opportunity for a spouse to present a new Marine with the EGA. This moment was so emotionally impactful that neither party could barely say a word.

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Dear Dad

“Why him?” said U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Jonathan Lane. His eyes were brimming with tears. His voice quivered. He repeated “Why him?”In a single moment, life can completely change. For Jonathan Lane, that moment was when he was just four years old. His father, GySgt. Shawn Lane, was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On July 28,

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