Joining the Marines is a daring decision. The Marines are a branch of the United States military that specializes in protecting the air, land, and sea.

Students in their senior year can apply to military programs and will have a year to prepare for military training.

“I think my recruiters did a pretty good job training me, especially because there is something called the Delayed Entry Program where you have at least a year out if you join your senior year to be able to prepare you for the riggers of recruit training,” Sergeant Derek Marksberry said.

People should be committed when looking to join the Marines.

“On the outside looking in or being a recruiter now in my shoes, my advice would be for people is to have that level of commitment to want to seek it out or go all the way through,” Marksberry said. “Trust your level of commitment and be open and honest if you are talking to recruiters about what you mean or what your intentions are.”

Talking and asking questions is a good way to figure out options.

“Come in and see [joining the Marines] as an option. If you are on the edge or you don’t know, walking through the door isn’t going to scan and enlist,” he said. “Seeing your options is not a bad thing, so sit down with somebody, ask questions, and figure out what it is you want and see if they can make that happen for you and if you guys align with what you are trying to accomplish.”

Influences, such as family and friends, can steer people towards joining the military.

“I grew up in a military family. My dad was in the National Guard for over 22 years,” he said. “He pushed me towards the Marines because of the brotherhood and because of what I experienced growing up and playing sports, wrestling, and football.”

The brotherhood in the Marines is a factor of people enlisting.

“I think the brotherhood and the connections you make is what really drove me to want to do something like this,” he said.

Protecting one’s country is a factor in enlisting in the military.

“I joined with a sense that I needed and wanted to serve my country. I don’t think I knew what to expect. I knew it was going to be hard, but I honestly went in pretty blind with the expectations of everything,” Corporal Michelle Roberts said.

The connections made when in the Marines are an important part of joining.

“I talk to most of the people I came in contact with at every point in my career to this day. I still have a group chat with the people I was in the Delayed Entry Program with as a trainee before I went to the Marines,” Marksberry said. “I still have a group chat with my boot camp platoon, my first unit, my second unit, and my current unit.”

The connections are a strong foundation to lean on in and out of the Marines

“All the connections that you make, you are going to keep them along the way, and all that does is give you networking capabilities,” Marksberry said. “I know that if I am ever stuck anywhere or if I am anywhere in the US or in other countries, I have someone I can call or someone I can count on that is there for me. The connections I made are insane, and I wouldn’t change it for anything,” Marksberry said.

The lack of females in the Marines causes the working environment to change tremendously.

“I was a part of air wing MWSs371, which is a station in Yuma Arizona, and the squadron is probably about five or six hundred people, so it is pretty small, but out of that, there are about 24 females total,” Roberts said. “I was the first female the shop had in six years, so most of these people had never worked with a female before so most of these people didn’t know what to do.”

When joining the Marines, females should avoid trying to fit in with the guys.

“Be smart about what you do. A lot of females get into the military, especially the Marine Corps, and they make really bad decisions in the front end because they want to fit in with the guys,” she said. “The females who don’t [try to fit in with the guys] make it far, and the ones that do [try to fit in with the guys] don’t make it far.”

Women in the Marines should find what they enjoy and stick with it.

“There is never going to be a point where you can prove yourself. You have an expectation that you need to prove yourself to the wrong people. By doing your work and doing the best you can, you prove yourself to the people that matter,” she said. “Find your niche, find something you’re good at, and stick with it because that is what will get you far and that is what will get you noticed.”