MCRC News

Staff Sgt. Andre Babineaux, a Marine with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, is a prior active duty Marine who is now part of the Marine Corps Reserves. - Staff Sgt. Andre Babineaux, a Marine with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, is a prior active duty Marine who is now part of the Marine Corps Reserves. Babineaux now works a civilian job in Virginia, and supervises 20-30 flight equipment Marines in Beaufort, South Carolina during his periodic drill weekends.

The Third Option

When young men and women sign a four to five-year active duty Marine Corps contract, they take an oath that ensures they understand the magnitude of their commitment. However, they may not realize that they’ll have to make another difficult decision when they near the end of their obligated service.

Read More

Future Marine recruit Teia Chutaro from Recruiting Sub-Station Honolulu, Recruiting Station San Diego, poses for a photo prior to shipping to recruit training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Jan. 5, 2021. Lima Company will be the first integrated company at MCRD San Diego in Marine Corps history. Historically all females who enter the Marine Corps are trained at MCRD Parris Island in South Carolina. (U.S. Marine Corps by Sgt. Tessa Watts) - Future Marine recruit Teia Chutaro from Recruiting Sub-Station Honolulu, Recruiting Station San Diego, poses for a photo prior to shipping to recruit training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Jan. 5, 2021. Lima Company will be the first integrated company at MCRD San Diego in Marine Corps history. Historically all females who enter the Marine Corps are trained at MCRD Parris Island in South Carolina. (U.S. Marine Corps by Sgt. Tessa Watts)

Making history for women and Marines at MCRD San Diego

Women began serving in the United States Marine Corps in 1918 when Opha Mae Johnson became the first of approximately 300 female Marines that volunteered for temporary clerical duty. In 1948, the Women's Armed Services Integration Act was passed by Congress, permanently allowing women to join and serve in the Marine Corps.

Read More

Lt. Col. Sally Ann Falco holds photos of two of her female Marine mentors, retired Sgt. Maj. Tammy Fodey and retired Sgt. Maj. Sarah Thornton, the first woman Marine to retire after 30 consecutive years of active service. Falco served as an enlisted Marine for 14 years before her acceptance to the Meritorious Commissioning Program. She commissioned in August 2001 and will soon retire after 34 fruitful years in the Marine Corps. “I’ve just been privileged to be allowed to be a Marine,” Falco said. “I still love it as much as the day I came in, and I would stay in forever, but I want to make room for others to climb the ladder and at the same time, contribute to society in another capacity.” (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Naomi May) - Lt. Col. Sally Ann Falco holds photos of two of her female Marine mentors, retired Sgt. Maj. Tammy Fodey and retired Sgt. Maj. Sarah Thornton, the first woman Marine to retire after 30 consecutive years of active service. Falco served as an enlisted Marine for 14 years before her acceptance to the Meritorious Commissioning Program. She commissioned in August 2001 and will soon retire after 34 fruitful years in the Marine Corps. “I’ve just been privileged to be allowed to be a Marine,” Falco said. “I still love it as much as the day I came in, and I would stay in forever, but I want to make room for others to climb the ladder and at the same time, contribute to society in another capacity.” (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Naomi May)

Woman Marine of 34 years leaves lasting legacy

In 1987, Lt. Col. Sally Ann Falco was just 17 years old. The Cold War was still hot. President Ronald Reagan had recently delivered his famous speech urging Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, but the wall would remain standing for two more years.

Read More

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Jason Oliver, a recruiter with Recruiting Station Frederick and 4th Marine Corps District recruiter of the quarter, completes a hike during a monthly pool function for Recruiting Substation Martinsburg in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, March 16, 2021. The monthly pool functions are preformed to both build rapport between poolees and recruiters and to prepare them mentally and physically for the rigors of Marine Corps recruit training. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ryan Sammet) - U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Jason Oliver, a recruiter with Recruiting Station Frederick and 4th Marine Corps District recruiter of the quarter, completes a hike during a monthly pool function for Recruiting Substation Martinsburg in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, March 16, 2021. The monthly pool functions are preformed to both build rapport between poolees and recruiters and to prepare them mentally and physically for the rigors of Marine Corps recruit training. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ryan Sammet)

Chase Dreams, Make Marines

“The first interview you ever do, should be on yourself,” said U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Jason Oliver, a recruiter with Recruiting Station (RS) Frederick and 4th Marine Corps District recruiter of the quarter. “Before you interview another kid, before you interview a prospect or talk to a parent or a teacher, sit down in your office and do the benefit tag presentation for yourself, and remind yourself why you became a Marine and why working this hard is necessary, not only for yourself but also because you are working for other people and you are affecting other people’s lives whether recruiting or not.”

Read More

National Women's History Month: Through the Marine Corps

From Opha May Johnson to females being integrated into training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, for more than a hundred years women have been continuing the legacy that Opha May Johnson and 300 other women started back in 1918. In today’s Marine Corps, women make up a total of 8.4% of roughly 246K Marines. The progression for women in the Marine Corps has been a slow, but continuous process that has prospered in time. We have come to a time where even women in the Marine Corps do not desire the word ‘female’, in front of the title Marine.

Read More

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Gabra A. Bailey, a supply officer with 12th Marine Corps District, poses in his office at the district headquarters located at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on March 4, 2021. Bailey was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica before immigrating to the United States and becoming a Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Tessa D. Watts) - U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Gabra A. Bailey, a supply officer with 12th Marine Corps District, poses in his office at the district headquarters located at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on March 4, 2021. Bailey was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica before immigrating to the United States and becoming a Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Tessa D. Watts)

Capt. Gabra A. Bailey: Inspiration through humanity

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Gabra A. Bailey, a supply officer with 12th Marine Corps District, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, immigrated to the United States from Jamaica at 22 years old and was on the renowned yellow footprints of Marine Corps recruit training at 23 years old.

Read More