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N/A - Lance Cpl. Brandon Avila, a Marine with Hotel Company. 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, says the oath of enlistment during the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor ceremony on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., May 8, 2025. Following a culminating 15k hike to Peatross Parade Deck, recruits are given their EGA and officially become United States Marines. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. William Horsley)

A Promise Kept

Over a year ago, Lance Cpl. Brandon Avila promised his mother that he would become a Marine and give her and their family a better life. Avila never let go of that promise, even when he was injured last June and spent the next eight months in recovery. “I had a goal when I came on the island, I made a promise to my mom,” said Avila. “I wanted to be different from my brothers, prove my family wrong, and give my mother a better life.”

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