Stories

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Nathan Blackwell, commanding officer of Recruiting Station Milwaukee, discusses leadership and teamwork fundamentals during an on field interview at the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All Star Game, in Oshkosh, Wisc., July 20, 2024. During the WFCA All Star Game Blackwell emphasized the importance of discipline and teamwork and how this relates to the Marine Corps and athletics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Collette Hagen) - U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Nathan Blackwell, commanding officer of Recruiting Station Milwaukee, discusses leadership and teamwork fundamentals during an on field interview at the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All Star Game, in Oshkosh, Wisc., July 20, 2024. During the WFCA All Star Game Blackwell emphasized the importance of discipline and teamwork and how this relates to the Marine Corps and athletics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Collette Hagen)

From the Gridiron to the Frontline: Football and the Marine Corps

RS MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee, WI – Football has always been a part of Maj. Nate Blackwell’s life. Growing up in Fredonia, Kansas, Blackwell had the privilege of experiencing the game firsthand while his father coached middle and high school football. Blackwell was a multisport student-athlete in high school, which set him up for success when he enlisted in 2003.

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Marines with the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard present the National Ensign as part of a football stadium dedication ceremony at Deer Creek High School, Edmond, Okla., Oct. 11, 2024. The Deer Creek High School football stadium was dedicated and renamed in honor of U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Tyler Tidwell, a graduate of Deer Creek High School, who lost his battle to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2022. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Lennon Dregoiw) - Marines with the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard present the National Ensign as part of a football stadium dedication ceremony at Deer Creek High School, Edmond, Okla., Oct. 11, 2024. The Deer Creek High School football stadium was dedicated and renamed in honor of U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Tyler Tidwell, a graduate of Deer Creek High School, who lost his battle to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2022. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Lennon Dregoiw)

Deer Creek High School dedicates and renames football stadium in honor of fallen Marine

EDMOND, Okla. – Friday night lights illuminated the Deer Creek High School football stadium as students, parents, and the community gathered together for another fall football game. Before the football game started, everyone’s eyes gazed upon the football field to dedicate and rename the Deer Creek High School football stadium in honor of a fallen

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Cpl. Nicholas Christensen executes infantry maneuvers during a training exercise in Okinawa, Japan. Christensen, a native of St. Charles, Ill. a machine gunner, provided lifesaving medical care to a gravely injured Marine after a vehicle collision in Oceanside, Calif., September 2023. (Department of Defense photo) - Cpl. Nicholas Christensen executes infantry maneuvers during a training exercise in Okinawa, Japan. Christensen, a native of St. Charles, Ill. a machine gunner, provided lifesaving medical care to a gravely injured Marine after a vehicle collision in Oceanside, Calif., September 2023. (Department of Defense photo)

Military Medical Training Proves Lifesaving

It was an ordinary Friday evening, Sept. 15th, as Cpl. Nicholas Christensen was driving back to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California chatting with his buddy Lance Cpl. Ethan Feaster when suddenly a car turned left into traffic causing a horrific collision. Two of the motorcycle riders directly in front of Christensen’s truck swerved to miss the car, a third motorcycle rider attempted to avoid a collision, but it was unavoidable.

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Matt Binsfeld, a coach at Kaukauna High School in Kaukauna, WI, is awarded the Semper Fi Coach Award for his selfless commitment to his team and his community. - Matt Binsfeld, a coach at Kaukauna High School in Kaukauna, WI, is awarded the Semper Fi Coach Award for his selfless commitment to his team and his community.

Kaukauna Coach Receives Semper Fi Coach Award

The United States Marine Corps believes there is a clear parallel between the high school coach who develops student-athletes and the United States Marine Corps who develops elite warriors and quality citizens. The Semper Fi Coach Award is meant to recognize a high school coach who exemplifies the Marine Corps motto of Semper Fidelis – Always

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U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Chad Falkos retires from service after 21 honorable yeears, Chicago, IL, March 10, 2023. Master Sgt. Falkos last served as Recruiting Station Chicago's Operations Chief. Falkos was an 8412, Career Recruiter, having served in billets such as Station Commander, Recruiter Instructor, and Operations Chief (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Dalton J. Payne) - U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Chad Falkos retires from service after 21 honorable yeears, Chicago, IL, March 10, 2023. Master Sgt. Falkos last served as Recruiting Station Chicago's Operations Chief. Falkos was an 8412, Career Recruiter, having served in billets such as Station Commander, Recruiter Instructor, and Operations Chief (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Dalton J. Payne)

Master Sergeant Chad Falkos Retirement Ceremony

From bittersweet endings to new beginnings, Marine Corps Recruiting Station Chicago said goodbye and happy retirement to Master Sgt. Chad Falkos on March 10th. He served as the RS’s Operations Chief. He was one of the few Marines that have the drive to become a career recruiter. If the Marines are the 1%, career recruiters are the .01%. He spent a considerable portion of his career dedicated to the next generation of Marines. Master Sgt. Falkos served 21 honorable years in the Marine Corps. He’s welcomed home by his wife and 3 children. At his ceremony in St. Charles, IL, he discussed the sacrifices Marines make in their careers, his friendships formed along the way, and his defining moments as a Marine.

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220601-M-CY007-855 - On March 17, 2022, Jack A. Haertling stood before his own father, Jeff A. Haertling, and the Marine Corps Recruiting Station Kansas City Commanding Officer, Maj. Rick Hayek, to take the oath of enlistment. Having dreamed of being a Marine since his childhood, Jack spent his senior year of high school deciding whether he would follow through on his dream or attend college instead. Ultimately, he decided to take the plunge and commit to service in the Marine Corps like his father and others before him. Jack is scheduled to attend recruit training in September. (illustration courtesy of the Heartling family)

The Haertling family’s rich heritage | Marine service passed onto son

On March 17, 2022, Jack A. Haertling stood before his own father, Jeff A. Haertling, and the Marine Corps Recruiting Station Kansas City Commanding Officer, Maj. Rick Hayek, to take the oath of enlistment. Having dreamed of being a Marine since his childhood, Jack spent his senior year of high school deciding whether he would follow through on his

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Poolee Marijane D. Huff, a Burlington, Kansas native, poses for a photo with her recruiter, Sgt. Alberto Figueroavidal, at Burlington High School, March 9, 2022. Huff, a state ranked wrestler and avid volunteer in her community, placed second in her state wrestling championship this year and is the second female wrestler in her school to win one hundred matches. Huff joined the Marine Corps Delayed entry program May 11, 2021 and is scheduled to depart for recruit training in June 2022. - Poolee Marijane D. Huff, a Burlington, Kansas native, poses for a photo with her recruiter, Sgt. Alberto Figueroavidal, at Burlington High School, March 9, 2022. Huff, a state ranked wrestler and avid volunteer in her community, placed second in her state wrestling championship this year and is the second female wrestler in her school to win one hundred matches. Huff joined the Marine Corps Delayed entry program May 11, 2021 and is scheduled to depart for recruit training in June 2022.

Made in Kansas | poised for Parris Island

In a town of nearly 2,500, one Burlington High School student stands out among the rest. Marijane D. Huff, a Burlington, Kansas native, walks the halls of her school quickly—dashing from class to wrestling practice, then track and cross country. After school lets out and she finishes her practices, she rushes to work at Sonic, stays behind to

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Daniel Hayek (left) takes his Oath of Enlistment from his father, Maj. Richard Hayek, the Commanding officer of Marine Corps Recruiting Station Kansas City, before signing an active duty contract with the U.S. Marine Corps at Kansas City Military Entrance Processing Station in Kansas City, Mo., July 26, 2021. By committing to the Marines, Daniel is poised to become a fourth-generation service member in his family-- following the footsteps of his mother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Daniel graduated from Navarre High School in Navarre, Fla., in 2020. - Daniel Hayek (left) takes his Oath of Enlistment from his father, Maj. Richard Hayek, the Commanding officer of Marine Corps Recruiting Station Kansas City, before signing an active duty contract with the U.S. Marine Corps at Kansas City Military Entrance Processing Station in Kansas City, Mo., July 26, 2021. By committing to the Marines, Daniel is poised to become a fourth-generation service member in his family-- following the footsteps of his mother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Daniel graduated from Navarre High School in Navarre, Fla., in 2020.

A long standing legacy | Kansas City Marine officer swears son into the Corps

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Across the nation, the Marine Corps is looking for the next generation of Marines. Through the bustling streets of New York City or along the shores of Midwestern lakes, every Marine on recruiting duty hustles to find the best of the best – the next applicant who could one day become a beloved sergeant major or even a general.

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Carlos Brown, left, a pastor and the business representative for the International Longshoreman’s Association, Mark Brown, middle, a retired Marine, and Jason Brown, the Fine Arts Department Chair and Band Director for East St. Louis High School, pose for a photo in Swansea, Ill., Feb 27, 2021. The three men were gathered together for an interview about their life story. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Andrew Jones) - Carlos Brown, left, a pastor and the business representative for the International Longshoreman’s Association, Mark Brown, middle, a retired Marine, and Jason Brown, the Fine Arts Department Chair and Band Director for East St. Louis High School, pose for a photo in Swansea, Ill., Feb 27, 2021. The three men were gathered together for an interview about their life story. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Andrew Jones)

Meet the Browns: The story of an East St. Louis family’s Success, Dedication to Corps, Community

Rewind 33 years to the summer of 1988. Carlos Brown and Cortez Brown, recent high school graduates from East St. Louis Lincoln High School, are driving down Interstate 70. They are heading west, out of St. Louis, in a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Cortez has his bare feet hanging out of the window, which may sound picturesque, but in less than a month the pair would be thousands of miles away with shaved heads, wondering what they got themselves into.

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Ei Ei Naing poses for a photo at Recruiting Sub-Station West Des Moines, Iowa, January 6, 2021. Naing is the recipient of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship for Recruiting Station Des Moines Iowa/Nebraska. Born into a refugee camp, Naing and her parents immigrated to the United States for a better life and provide their daughter with better opportunities. (Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Timothy Smithers ) - Ei Ei Naing poses for a photo at Recruiting Sub-Station West Des Moines, Iowa, January 6, 2021. Naing is the recipient of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship for Recruiting Station Des Moines Iowa/Nebraska. Born into a refugee camp, Naing and her parents immigrated to the United States for a better life and provide their daughter with better opportunities. (Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Smithers, Timothy, R./Released)

Asian-American immigrant awarded NROTC Marine option scholarship

Ei Ei Naing is one of the recipients of the Naval Reserve Officer Training scholarship, a highly competitive program with an acceptance rate of less than 20 percent. While achieving this scholarship is by no means an easy task, Naing’s journey to earn it is nothing short of incredible.

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