Photo By Lance Cpl. Gustavo Romero | U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Markis Frye, non-prior service reserve procurement officer in...... read more read more
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As he walked through venues and talked to the U.S. Army and Navy recruiters, they told him the same information regarding what they could offer. His eyes fell on a tall Marine recruiter looking sharp. Again, he got the same information, but something was different and intrigued him. As he continued his tour through the rest of the service branches, he couldn’t help but think back to the Marines and their mannerisms.
That was when now Maj. Markis Frye, non-prior service reserve procurement officer in charge, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, knew he wanted to join the military but didn’t know which Branch he would join. His high school Reserve Officers’ Training Corps regularly had service recruiters visit and offer information about their respective branches.
“Each service recruiter came to visit the ROTC program,” said Frye. “All the recruiters said the same thing, but something stood out about the Marine; he was the sharpest. Not only because of his uniform but also how he carried himself.”
Frye’s ROTC instructors were Marines and played a part in influencing him to pick the Marines. They also told the class sea stories and memorable times during their service, convincing Frye that the Marines were the way to go.
As in many cases for young enlistees, his mother was worried about her son joining one of the service branches. His parents agreed to sign his paperwork, and he had to wait four days after graduation to head to recruit training. Being a natural leader, he found himself as one of the squad leaders, making sure his fellow recruits knew all rules and expectations that the drill instructors had.
“I didn’t like being punished for the other recruits' mistakes,” said Frye. “I was first squad leader throughout boot camp, and if somebody else in the squad did something stupid, I was on the quarterdeck getting smoked because of what they did.”
After finishing all his training, he returned to his hometown to complete his education as a reservist. Frye was on the fence about re-enlisting and heard his unit was deploying again and wanted to support them even if he couldn’t deploy with them for a second time. So, he volunteered to help the unit back in the rear as there was still work that needed to be done. That’s when he was tasked with a project that gave him a memorable moment in his Marine Corps career.
One of his memorable moments was when he, as a sergeant, was running a Toy for Tots program and needed to remember one box he distributed for donations. The Maxwell Air Force Base Air War College director called Frye and told him, “Hey, Sgt. Frye, I got a box full of toys, and I know they must be delivered before Christmas.” Frye grabbed another NCO, and they headed down to pick up the toys to deliver to kids in need at the local Salvation Army temporary housing. They passed next to a playground where two families and their children were.
“I looked at the corporal beside me and asked him, ‘hey, Cpl. [Christopher] Orum, do you want to make some kids happy?’” said Frye. “He was like, ‘what are you thinking, sergeant?’ and I told him, ‘I was thinking of passing out the toys to the kids right here.’”
They pulled into the parking lot and prepared the toys for the kids when a man recognized Frye from the local news. He asked them what they were doing here, and Frye explained the situation. The man offered to help and started their plan. The man gathered the families and kids while Frye and the corporal got the toys ready in their truck.
“I gave him this [thumbs up], and he brought all the kids over,” said Frye. “Their eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.”
Frye continued his education in the reserves, eventually starting to commission as a Marine officer. People told him he was a natural leader, so Frye took that to heart and challenged himself to become a higher leader in the Marines. Frye started his process in November 2007 and was commissioned as an officer in April 2008.
“Markis is the epitome of Theodore Roosevelt's quote to ‘speak softly and carry a big stick.’ He has a calming presence with a sharp demeanor that instills confidence in Marines of all ranks,” said retired Maj. Thomas J. Scanlan, a native of Colorado. “While we were peers, my subordinates often would attach and work under the purview of Maj. Frye and I had full confidence that my Marines were in good hands and would be well led, treated fairly, and cared for by Markis himself and his team of well-led [staff noncommissioned officers].”
Scanlan met Frye and deployed with him when they were both assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 364, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. From the beginning, Frye quickly began to show the value he brought to the unit and his dedication to his fellow Marines.
“Maj. Frye has a very strong and confident demeanor about him,” said Capt. Coleman Jennings, air support control officer and operations officer, a native of Seattle, Washington. “I trust everything he says - unlike many junior officers - I always wanted to know his thoughts on handling certain military matters because he stood out amongst his peers with his experience and calm, cool attitude.”
Now that Frye is almost done with his service, he is looking to retire in the next three years and is set on spending his days fishing.
“My soul says go fishing every day,” said Frye. “I imagine myself in the Gulf of Mexico on a boat. I might have a job with a laptop and some Wi-Fi to work on a boat on the Gulf of Mexico.”
| Date Taken: | 02.01.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2023 13:24 |
| Story ID: | 438925 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 205 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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