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Midway defenders hold final reunion

The sun began to set on the two-square-mile island group named Midway. Its Sand and Eastern islands sit in the central Pacific Ocean. "Two destroyers attacked," said Don J. Drake, former private first class and searchlight operator for 6th Defense Battalion. "The events are very easy to remember," said the gray-haired gentleman in his 80s. At dusk,

Sergeant is rare active reserve drill instructor

As he watched paper scraps snowing over Brooklyn, N.Y., Johnson stood security and thought he was going to war. Before the World Trade Center towers fell in lower Manhattan a few miles away, he was making pancakes for his future wife Valentina Drozdova, a Russian immigrant from St. Petersburg. In one of those towers, Johnson said he had attended

Marine Marches to the Beat of His Own Drum

From the time Stuart E. Davis was in the fourth grade, he knew that he wanted to be a drummer but had no idea that his desire would see him into the Marine Corps. Private First Class Davis, a 19-year-old native of Lakewood, N.J., has now embarked on a career in “The Commandant’s Own” U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. Davis recalls his earliest

Former Clemson baseball standout pursues childhood dream to lead Marines

Amidst the sweltering Athens, Ga., heat, a single ball whistles past a screaming bat and into a dust-covered mitt as 34 sighs of despair chorus the Clemson University Baseball team dugout. Even while clearing the dugout and boarding their team bus, preparations for next season begin. The majority of the team promise themselves next year will be

Future Marine balances passions, commitments;

No one batted an eye when Lauren Kurkimilis told them she was joining the Marine Corps. Afterall, the Cape Coral, Fla., native, has been through quite a bit in her 17 years. The oddity is that Kurkimilis, an honors student at Cypress Lake High School & Center for the Performing Arts, even found the time to sign the contract. Besides attending her

Sweet Dreams;How M&M's helped a Panamanian boy become a Marine

On a dusty street in Panama City, Panama, 10-year-old Jahir Jimenez and his friends watched silently as a squad of U.S. Marines patrolled past them. The year was 1989, and Operation JUST CAUSE was under way with two objectives: the capture of ruthless dictator Manuel Noriega, and the establishment of a democratic government in Panama. As one Marine

A Visit from the Angels

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels spend a lot of their time practicing precision flying skills. Even though they are busy performing at various air shows around the U.S., they take time before each show to share their experiences with people less fortunate such as a recent visit to Niagara Falls, N.Y. Navy Lt. Gary Mullen, flight surgeon, and Petty Officer

Recruiter welcomes sister home from Boot Camp

August 20 was a very exciting day for Sgt Christopher Butler; he had driven nearly 600 miles from Mobile, Ala., to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., to watch a boot camp graduation. But this was not just any graduation. Butler stood on the parade deck and was bursting with pride to see his sister graduating from boot camp on the same

Departing chief DI highly regards mentorship and welfare

Who takes care of the drill instructors? Staff Sgt. Cortez L. Brown said that's his top priority. Brown is one of Company K's chief drill instructors, and he makes sure his series' drill instructors are as well rested and stress-free as possible. "I have always believed in taking care of my own," said Brown, a father of two. "Raising my girls has

Recruiting, a family affair

Recruiters are constantly seeking highly qualified young men and women to fill the future ranks of the Marine Corps. One recruiter, however, did not have to look any further than home to find what he was looking for. When Sgt. Seth Bai checked into Recruiting Station Springfield in May he knew that his brother had what it takes to become a Marine.

Marine Corps Recruiting Command