Parris Island drill instructor, Bend, Ore.-native recognized as best in the Marine Corps

The Commandant of the Marine Corps recognized a Parris Island drill instructor as the Corps' top DI during an awards ceremony at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Feb. 8, 2017.

Gunnery Sgt. Vitali Kholodov, is a 34-year-old native of Bend, Ore., was recognized out of the over 1,000 drill instructors in the Marine Corps.

Kholodov served as a drill instructor for three training cycles and as a senior drill instructor for two training cycles transforming more than 340 civilians into United States Marines. He also served as a water survival instructor before recently becoming an instructor at Drill Instructor School.

"It's hard to take credit just for myself that I'm better than anybody else on Parris Island," said Kholodov. "There's plenty of other drill instructors on Parris Island and San Diego working really hard to make the future of our Corps."

Kholodov was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia and moved to the United States in 1999. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2004, and his original military occupational specialty is as a helicopter mechanic. He volunteered for drill instructor duty and became a drill instructor in September 2014 after successfully completing 11 weeks of DI School.

"For Parris Island to have the DI of the year for the Marine Corps, it speaks volumes to the caliber of Marines we have here aboard the depot transforming the lives of young men and women every day," said Brig. Gen. Austin Renforth, commanding general of MCRD Parris Island and the Eastern Recruiting Region. "Gunnery Sgt. Kholodov represents the best of the top 10 percent we call drill instructors. He is a Marines'  Marine in addition to being an outstanding mentor to recruits, a husband and a father of three children."

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NOTE: Media seeking interviews may contact the Parris Island Public Affairs Office at PAO_MCRDPI@usmc.mil. High resolution images of recruit training can be found on https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/mcrd-pi.