Photo By Sgt. Lydia Gordon | U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Alexandra Earl talks about her journey to becoming a U.S....... read more read more
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – As the winter season rolls along, many new Marines are coming home to visit their families and friends for the holidays. Those recently graduated from bootcamp attending Marine Combat Training or the School of Infantry got a unique opportunity this year to pause their training and return home for Christmas and New Years. In particular, two Marines, Pfc. William Walker and Pfc. Alexandra Earl, came back to Recruiting Substation East Salt Lake City where they recalled how they met and their respective journeys leading up to enlisting in the Marine Corps.
Pfc. William Walker, a native of Centerville, Utah and graduate of Woods Cross High School, always knew he wanted to be in the military. He sought out information from recruiters across the branches, but instantly found a connection with the Marine Corps recruiters.
When asked about why he chose the Marines over the other military branches, Walker stated, “I noticed a huge difference in the culture that the Marine Corps had, and that is what I wanted to do. I saw a recruiter in his dress blues in my school and immediately knew he was a Marine. I talked to him and told him I wanted to learn more. After a few months, my recruiter reached back out and from there I made the decision to commit.”
Walker knew that the Marine Corps was more physically and mentally demanding than the other branches. Seeing how challenge was one of his main motivations to join, he pushed himself, going from failing the Marine Corps’ Physical Fitness Test, to running a first-class in less than three months. He wasn’t always the most physically fit, stating he never played any big sports. However, dancing played a large part in his life, which is where he met his coach, Alexandra Earl.
“I was a ballroom dancer in high school and Alex Earl was my dance coach while I was a senior team captain. When she found out I was joining the Marine Corps, she showed some interest and I gave her as much information as I could and put her in contact with my recruiters.”
Pfc. Alexandra Earl, a native of Bountiful, Utah and graduate of Bountiful High School, had a knack for dancing and digital arts and was newly attending Weber State University as a graphic design major. Earl loved what she was doing with graphic design, but felt as if something was missing. As a dance coach in her free time, she had the chance to hear about job fields in the Marine Corps by another dancer, William Walker. Walker referred her to the Marine Corps recruiters at RSS East Salt Lake where they informed her about the Communication Strategy and Operations job field.
“When I found out I could do graphic design in the Marines without graduating college, I decided to go that route. I want to travel and be challenged, so the Marine Corps seemed to be the right thing for me,” spoke Earl.
For both Walker and Earl, joining the Marine Corps has been a life-changing decision, allowing the two to pursue their desired careers while simultaneously gaining crucial life skills. Although, this didn’t come without some challenges.
“The most challenging thing was being away from my family,” stated Earl. “I had never been away from them, so going that long without real contact was difficult.”
However, with challenge comes triumph as Earl found that, “my favorite thing so far is having a bunch of brothers and sisters. I only grew up with one sister, so I really love having a ton of found siblings in the Marine Corps.”
Motivation to be a Marine comes in many forms, but for Walker, he said that, “one of the biggest things that has kept me motivated is looking back and knowing that this decision and everything I’ve done so far has been 100% my decision. This was my choice. I get to do things that so many people will never do in their entire life simply because I had the courage to try.”
Earl advised, “for those looking to join, but have worries that are stopping them, do it anyway. The honor of being a United States Marine will always outweigh every mental and physical challenge.”
Pfc. Earl is currently in Marine Combat Training and once completed, will be attending the Defense Information School at Fort. Meade, Md., to train for the Communication Strategy and Operations job field. Pfc. Walker is currently in the School of Infantry and will be checking into his local reserve unit as a trained rifleman once he graduates.
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.13.2023 16:26 |
| Story ID: | 436758 |
| Location: | SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, US |
| Hometown: | BOUNTIFUL, UTAH, US |
| Hometown: | CENTERVILLE, UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 301 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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