Gunnery Sergeant Terrell L. Pryor serves as the Recruiting Instructor for Prior Service Recruiting, 9th Marine Corps District, Great Lakes, IL. He was born September 11, 1986, in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Thornridge High School, Dolton, Illinois in 2004. While in his senior year in high school, he enlisted into the Marine Corps in March 2004 and shipped a month after graduating high school to Recruit Training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego, California in June 2004.
After graduating from Recruit Training in August 2004, Private First Class Pryor proceeded to Camp Pendleton to complete Marine Combat Training. Finally, Private First Class Pryor departed to Twenty-nine Palms where he graduated as the Honor Graduate of Field Radio Operator Course for MOS 0621 and was meritoriously promoted to Lance Corporal.
In January of 2005, after completing MOS school, Lance Corporal Pryor was assigned to 2nd Battalion 24th Marines in Chicago, Illinois. While with 2/24 Lance Corporal Pryor completed a total of five satisfactory reserve years in which he did six months of recruiter’s assistance.
Also, while in the reserves Lance Corporal Pryor was promoted to Corporal. He was then activated from October 2007 to October of 2008 where he spent January to August of 2008 in Iraq. In Iraq, Corporal Pryor served in the Combat Operations Center as the Radio Watch for two months. He was later designated as Private Security Detail Bravo Radio Operator and Communications Officer MRAP driver where was convoyed through Iraq, Ramadi, and Fallujah.
Returning from deployment, Corporal Pryor came back to 2/24 and stayed on Active-Duty Operational Support Orders for six months where he continued to maintain the communications gear and vehicles as the Communication Noncommissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC).
Before Corporal Pryor completed his six-year obligation as a reservist, he was offered the opportunity to go to the Active Reserves. In 2009 Corporal Pryor was accepted to the Active Reserves. He reported to Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) New Orleans on 13 October 2009 to continue his career as a 0121 Personnel Administrator. In May of 2010 Corporal Pryor attended the first Personnel Administration Course on Camp Johnson, North Carolina that was used to merge the 0100 community to MOS 0111. After completing the Personnel Administrator Course, Corporal Pryor returned to MARFORRES where he worked in the Reserve Maintenance section of the Individual Personnel Administration Center and held the position of Reserve Maintenance NCOIC.
In August of 2011 he was meritoriously promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Soon after getting promoted to Sergeant, he attended and completed the first Martial Arts Instructor (MAI) Course held at MARFORRES in September of 2011. As a new MAI at MARFORRES he assisted with two Black Belt Courses and conducted multiple Martial Art Advancement courses himself. In January 2012 he moved to the Administrative Assist Unit of MARFORRES where he oversaw correcting Career Retirement Credit Records for all MARFORRES and the Assistant Account Program Coordinator for Government Travel Charge Cards.
In August 2013 Sergeant Pryor PCS’d to Site Support, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar where he was designated as the Promotions, Awards and Correspondence NCOIC. With this billet Sergeant Pryor maintained the Promotion, Awards and Correspondence records for all five supported units, to include the Active and Reserve Component. In 2014 Sergeant Pryor attended the Intermediate Administration Specialist Course on Camp Johnson where he finished in the top 10% of his class. He then returned to Site Support as the Reserve Orders and Travel NCO. As the Orders and Travel NCO Sergeant Pryor oversaw the monitoring of 600 Reserve Marines' travel and pay entitlements. He held this position for two years.
On 1 January 2016 he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and a month later attended Recruiter’s School at MCRD, San Diego, CA. After graduating as the Honor Graduate of the Basic Prior Service Recruiter’s (PSR) Course he was assigned to 12th Marine Corps Recruiting District, Prior Service Recruiting Station (PSRS) Miramar, CA. Here, he would go on to be Marine Corps Recruiting Command’s (MCRC) PSR of the Year Fiscal Year 2018, getting meritoriously promoted to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant and becoming the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge of PSRSS San Diego.
In April of 2020 Gunnery Sergeant Pryor was selected by MCRC to PCS to Basic Recruiters School to become the Basic Prior Service Recruiter Course (BPSRC) instructor. Here Gunnery Sergeant Pryor trained the next generation of PSRs during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the primary instructor and later the Course Head, Gunnery Sergeant Pryor modernized and updated course material specific to BPSRC and was the sole representative to the Command Group on all thing PSR related.
Gunnery Sergeant Pryor’s personal decorations include, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2nd Award), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (6th Award), Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal (4th Award).