1st Marine Corps District
1st MCD Logo
Marine Corps Recruiting Command

01

Marines recognized, honored during 2023 Military Bowl

U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Jim Wellons, the assistant deputy commandant for Programs, Programs and Resources, leads a formation of future Marines...

02

MCRC Commanding General Major General Bowers Visits RSS Westchester

U.S. Marine Corps Major General William J. Bowers, left, Commanding General of Marine Corps Recruiting Command, visits Recruiting Substation...

03

Answering the Call: Reserve Marine Saves the Lives of Two in New York

Alex LoRusso, right, one of the two victims of a car collision saved by Sgt. Joseph Howard, a Yonkers, New York native and an infantry mortarman with...

04

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Phillip Ash, commanding officer of the 1st Marine Corps District, greets Staff Sgt. Anthony Haley, Recruiting Station Boston's Rookie Recruiter of the Year.

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Phillip Ash, commanding officer of the 1st Marine Corps District, greets Staff Sgt. Anthony Haley, a recruiter with Recruiting...

05

New York State Fair

U.S. Marines with Recruiting Substation Springfield interact with the attendees of the annual New York State Fair in West Springfield, Massachusetts,...

06

Long Island native continues legacy of New York women in Marine Corps history

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Lily Banhegyesi, a drill master with Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, oversees future Marine in...

07

New York Auto Show

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Nicholas Belby, a musician with Quantico Marine Corps Band, sings during their performance at the annual New York...

1st Marine Corps District Leaders

1st Marine Corps District - Commanding Officer
1st Marine Corps District

Colonel Nicol is a native of Canon City, CO. He graduated from the Navy’s Recruit Training Command

Read Biography

1st Marine Corps District - Sergeant Major
1st Marine Corps District

Sergeant Major Orjuela enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 8 November 1994. Immediately

Read Biography

Information Coming Soon

Activated on 1 September 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts, 1st Marine Corps District was designated as the 1st Reserve District.  On 1 July 1946 it was re-designated as the 1st Marine Corps Reserve District then on 31 March 1953; the name was officially changed to 1st Marine Corps Reserve and Recruiting District (MCR&RD). MCR&RD included six recruiting stations (Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Hartford, New York, and Portland, Maine) and three officer procurement offices (Boston, Buffalo and New York). 
    
In 1954, Recruiting Station Portland was deactivated and RS Boston took responsibility for recruiting in that area. 
    
In August 1956, 1st MCR&RD headquarters moved from Boston to its present location on Stewart Avenue in Garden City, N.Y. The grounds of Stewart Ave. were originally Camp Mills (1776), which then, were training grounds for the War of 1812, the Mexican War, Spanish American War and World War I.
     
The current 1st Marine Corps District building was built by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) in 1923 for a warehouse and distribution center.  The building became outdated, and A&P built a more modern warehouse further east on Stewart Ave. The vacated building took occupancy in 1941 by Sperry Gyroscope, famous for manufacturing war materials.  During their occupancy, they added several buildings, to include the guardhouse and a cafeteria. Today the cafeteria occupies the same structure, half of which was converted into the 1st MCD Enlisted Club.
     
The building was purchased by Navy Records Management Center (NRMC) for $319,000 immediately following the end of the war in 1945 in order to process and microfilm the paperwork of the thousands of discharged servicemen of WWII. Being on Long Island for ten years, NRMC moved to more up to date facilities in St. Louis, Mo. in 1955.
     
For almost a year, the building was only occupied by a small caretaker team. Alicia Patterson, publisher of an up-and-coming newspaper called NEWSDAY, tried to acquire the property. When she failed, she built her plant next door.
     
A public affairs officer was scouting the New York area to relocate the 1st MCRD&RD headquarters. With the help of the caretaker personnel, 11 officers and 53 enlisted Marines took occupancy of the property on August 3, 1953.
     
The first commanding officer of the new district headquarters building was Colonel Albert Creal, a veteran of the Tarawa campaign in WWII and the Inchon-Seoul and Chosin Reservoir fighting in Korea. Col Creal held a Legion of Merit with a combat “V”, distinction for valor, due to his outstanding service as Signal Officer of the 1st Division in Korea. In January 1942, then 1st Lt Creal became the commanding officer of the 2nd Defense Battalion in Samoa. They moved from Samoa to Tarawa in November of 1943. In March 1944, he returned back to America wearing the rank of Lt Col. In 1956 he took command of 1st MCRD&RD which included 38 officers, 159 enlisted Marines and 14 sailors.
     
On 1 January 1964, MCRD&RC split and was once again re-designated, now as 1st Marine Corps District. Today 1st Marine Corps District houses approximately 350 military and government service employees. 1st Marine Corps District includes eight recruiting stations (Albany, Buffalo, Harrisburg, New Jersey, New York, Pittsburg, Portsmouth and Springfield), each compromised of ten to fifteen recruiting substations. 
     
On 11 October 1985, the District held a commemorative naming ceremony to name the building in honor of the historical Marine from the metro New York area, Cpl. John F. Mackie, the first Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor. 
     
Cpl. John F. Mackie was a loyal Marine and a patriotic citizen. It is well and fitting that our first Medal of Honor recipient should be commemorated and remembered.


NAVY UNIT COMMENDATION STREAMER WITH ONE SILVER STAR

MERITORIOUS UNIT COMMENDATION STREAMER WITH ONE SILVER AND ONE GOLD STAR

AMERICAN DEFENSE SERVICE STREAMER

AMERICAN CAMPAIGN STREAMER

WORLD WAR II VICTORY STREAMER

NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE STREAMER WITH THREE BRONZE STARS

GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM SERVICE STREAMER

FAMILY READINESS PROGRAM

Deployment Readiness Coordinator

Hortencia Burris

 Hortencia.Burris@marines.usmc.mil

516-228-3699

Chaplain

LCDR Benjamin Shear

Benjamin.Shear@marines.usmc.mil

516-228-5606

Single Marine Program Representative

Cpl. Anthony Nichols

Anthony.Nichols@marines.usmc.mil

516-228-5973

1st Marine Corps District

605 Stewart Avenue

Garden City, NY 11530

Marketing and Communications
Phone: (516) 228-5641

Administration
Admin Clerk Phone: 518-266-5111
SNCOIC Phone: 516-228-5562

ID Card Center
Main Line: 518-266-5695
Secondary: 516-228-5660

Hours of Operation

Monday: 1230 - 1530
Tuesday: 1200 - 1530
Wednesday: 1230 - 1530
Thursday: 1200 - 1530

 

To schedule an appointment click here.

- Under the "Enter Location" text type in "Garden City"

- Click the tab "Schedule Appointment"

- Scroll down to schedule an appointment

 

 

Staff Sergeant Andrew Gilbert

andrew.gilbert@marines.usmc.mil

Office: 516-228-2173

Cell: 516-427-8735

For more information, click here.