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Lt. Col. Sally Ann Falco holds photos of two of her female Marine mentors, retired Sgt. Maj. Tammy Fodey and retired Sgt. Maj. Sarah Thornton, the first woman Marine to retire after 30 consecutive years of active service. Falco served as an enlisted Marine for 14 years before her acceptance to the Meritorious Commissioning Program. She commissioned in August 2001 and will soon retire after 34 fruitful years in the Marine Corps. “I’ve just been privileged to be allowed to be a Marine,” Falco said. “I still love it as much as the day I came in, and I would stay in forever, but I want to make room for others to climb the ladder and at the same time, contribute to society in another capacity.” - Lt. Col. Sally Ann Falco holds photos of two of her female Marine mentors, retired Sgt. Maj. Tammy Fodey and retired Sgt. Maj. Sarah Thornton, the first woman Marine to retire after 30 consecutive years of active service. Falco served as an enlisted Marine for 14 years before her acceptance to the Meritorious Commissioning Program. She commissioned in August 2001 and will soon retire after 34 fruitful years in the Marine Corps. “I’ve just been privileged to be allowed to be a Marine,” Falco said. “I still love it as much as the day I came in, and I would stay in forever, but I want to make room for others to climb the ladder and at the same time, contribute to society in another capacity.”

Noah Furbush, 24, a Marine Corps Officer Candidate, participates in physical training at Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Virginia, October 31, 2019. The exercise challenges candidates’ ability to navigate on land, give orders and execute the mission effectively. The mission of Officer Candidates School is to educate and train officer candidates in Marine Corps knowledge and skills within a controlled and challenging environment in order to evaluate and screen individuals for the leadership, moral and physical qualities required for commissioning as a Marine Officer. - Noah Furbush, 24, a Marine Corps Officer Candidate, participates in physical training at Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Virginia, October 31, 2019. The exercise challenges candidates’ ability to navigate on land, give orders and execute the mission effectively. The mission of Officer Candidates School is to educate and train officer candidates in Marine Corps knowledge and skills within a controlled and challenging environment in order to evaluate and screen individuals for the leadership, moral and physical qualities required for commissioning as a Marine Officer. Furbush, a former linebacker at the University of Michigan, is training to become a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. Furbush was a four-year Academic All-Big Ten honoree and the recipient of the 2018 Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award, given to the top UM football student athlete. He graduated in 2018 with a degree in aerospace engineering and then graduated with a master’s degree in space engineering in 2019. Furbush is scheduled to graduate from the 10-week officer candidate course November 16 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia where he will subsequently commission as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Nygaard)

A Norwegian cadet pulls himself under barbed wire while completing the Combat Course at Officer Candidate School.While most candidates arrive at OCS via a combination of air and personal vehicle travel, the Norwegian cadets sailed a 101-year-old, three-masted steel bark known as the “Statsraad Lehmkuhl” from Norway to Baltimore. - A Norwegian cadet pulls himself under barbed wire while completing the Combat Course at Officer Candidate School.While most candidates arrive at OCS via a combination of air and personal vehicle travel, the Norwegian cadets sailed a 101-year-old, three-masted steel bark known as the “Statsraad Lehmkuhl” from Norway to Baltimore.