“I didn’t choose the Marine Corps, it chose me.” Those words still resonate with one man, 45 years after first enlisting.In 1972, Ernest B. Freeman walked into a recruiting station in Middletown, New York, one morning to enlist in the U.S. Army and walked out as a U.S. Marine Corps enlistee.“I was looking for something, I didn’t necessarily know what, a purpose,” said Freeman. “I looked around me, at the people I graduated high school with and I knew I just wanted more, I wanted to be better. So, I went to see an Army recruiter, listened to what he had to say, and then saw a Marine recruiter walking by, and I thought to myself; wow, he looks sharp.”The Whiteville, North Carolina, native enlisted in the Marine Corps as a brig guard and spent

Have you ever woken up and thought that today is a lot like the day before? Like you’re in that movie Groundhog Day?This is a common refrain from many a Marine on deployment, but it has taken on new meaning for the Marines and Sailors of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.Today, on the second November 10th of the year, the only Marine Corps Air-Ground Task Force to be deployed aboard an amphibious ready group celebrated two Marine Corps birthdays. We promise this will all make sense in the end.The International Date LineIf you’re a Marine and have ever had the privilege of serving alongside your brothers and sisters in the U.S. Navy aboard one of their warships, then you know the pleasure of regularly shifting time zones.When a ship is

Ahead of Veterans Day, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Troy E. Black recognized the service of Marine Corps veterans during a private ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Nov. 8.This year, the annual wreath laying honored the sixth Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. Clinton A. Puckett; the first woman to retire from the Marine Corps, Master Sgt. Catherine Grace Murray; and Sgt. Ronald Ariel Rodriguez who died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. "It was humbling to place wreaths on the graves of Sergeant Major Puckett, Master Sergeant Murray and Sergeant Rodriguez. These Marines – though serving in different times, under different conditions, and facing different enemies – rest together in

U.S. Marines are known for their fast thinking and courage in a time of need. Marines are taught from day one the core values of honor, courage and commitment. U.S. Marine Cpl. Alexandra Nowak, an administrative specialist with Alpha Company, Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, exemplified unwavering courage when she saved the lives of three people Sept. 20.Nowak was driving to pick up her 2-year old daughter and mother at the airport on Interstate Highway 15 in Escondido, California, when she witnessed a multi-car collision resulting in a sports utility vehicle rolling onto its side.Nowak, a native of Forney, Texas, sprang into action to help the vehicle’s occupants. She