Photo By Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez | U.S. Marine Corps Col. Kelly Frushour, Marine Corps Embassy Security Group commanding...... read more read more
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It is normal to feel overwhelmed and unsure of yourself when you’re young and amid major life events. As one chapter closes, a new one opens with sometimes with uncertainty and greater challenges.
Growing up, U.S. Marine Corps Col. Kelly Frushour, Marine Corps Embassy Security Group (MCESG) commanding officer, found herself bouncing around the U.S. and Europe due to her father's military service. As part of her travels across Europe, she met and became friends with Marine Embassy Security guards.
"I used to work at the embassy as a summer hire; the people closest to my age were the Marine Security Guards; they treated me like a little sister," said Frushour, about the duty whose guard's mission is to protect mission personnel and prevent the compromise of national security information and equipment at U.S. facilities worldwide. "That was my first introduction to the Marine Corps."
Naturally, as she started debating what she wanted to do with her life, the Marine Corps appeared to be a great fit as she was used to the challenging and changing environment. The Corps was certain to be a stepping stone to her future as she continued to learn who she was and what she wanted to do with her life.
As Frushour's time in college ended with her earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Oklahoma, she attended a career fair to explore her post-secondary options. Nothing there stood out to her. Faced with a dead end, she recalled fond memories of her father’s time in Norway.
The 1998 graduate soon realized the Marine Corps was more than a four-year pitstop; it was where her true passions lay, and she built a lasting career there.
Remembering her time with the MSG Marines and her family's history in the military, Frushour found a Marine officer selection officer and subsequently departed for Officer Candidates School (OCS) at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, where she earned her commission. Upon commissioning, she realized that she could not be a Marine Security Guard as that is an enlisted position. She instead became a public affairs officer.
After her initial training at OCS and The Basic School at Quantico, Virginia, she received orders to MCB Okinawa, Japan, to be the plans officer within the Consolidated Public Affairs Office.
"My dad would always have us explore wherever we were," said Frushour. "So, in Japan, every moment I had, I would walk off base and play a game of 'where does this road go' and see if I can find something cool."
Frushour found her time in Okinawa so exceptional that she extended her orders and decided to continue her career in the Marine Corps. She was given new orders to go to MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in 2001. There she served as the public affairs evaluator for II Marine Expeditionary Force Special Operations Training Group. While there, she joined the 2nd Marine Division as they left for Iraq in 2003 serving as the PAO.
At the time, women were not allowed in certain Military Occupational Specialties or to be attached to ground combat units. However, many women-dominated MOSs were required for mission success in combat-oriented areas. Therefore, to ensure the right Marine was available, Marine headquarters units (where women could serve) would often be placed near their ground combat units in Iraq. This allowed Frushour to be near the front lines in Iraq.
"It took me a while to realize that I was different from the majority of people I was serving with. Different in that, I was a woman, and they were a man," said Frushour. "I think that's because public affairs is an exceptional job for women. No one treated me like I was stealing something. Everyone was fine with me being in the role that I was in because the role I was in is a traditionally female role."
After a Marine Corps Forces Atlantic tour in Norfolk, Virginia, Frushour returned to Lejeune. As a major, Frushour deployed to Afghanistan as the PAO for the 24th MEU.
"Even if there was an assignment that I maybe wasn't looking forward to, I loved it when I was doing it, and I would look back, and I would be grateful that I did it," said Frushour. "Either because of the people I met or what I was doing or what other opportunities it had opened up for me."
In 2010, Frushour returned to school via the Special Education Program. She attended San Diego State University in San Diego. This program allowed Frushour to earn a Master of Arts Degree in Communication and professional public relations accreditation through the Public Relations Society of America.
Eventually, Frushour was reunited with the MSG program. She was selected for command of Marine Corps Embassy Security Group Region Seven in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2015 as the first female region commander in the program's history.
"I love being a [Communication Strategy and Operations (COMMSTRAT)] officer. I love being in public affairs, but I also love being in command because the impact you can have on people is much more [readily] apparent," said Frushour. The Public Affairs MOS merged with the Combat Camera MOS in 2017, creating COMMSTRAT. "You can see in real-time the impacts your decisions can have on people or improving their experience in the Marine Corps."
After commanding in Germany, she attended the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University where she earned a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy. Immediately after that, she moved back to Okinawa, Japan, where she served III MEF as its Director, Communication Strategy and Operations.
In 2020, Frushour moved back stateside to Virginia, where she became deputy director of the Communication Directorate, Headquarters Marine Corps. After only one year in the billet, she was selected for command of the MCESG.
She took command of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group in June 2022.
Throughout her career, Frushour has impacted many Marines. One of these is Lt. Col. Kendra Motz, the MCESG Region 5 commanding officer. Frushour and Motz, also a COMMSTRAT officer, have crossed paths many times before, but this is the first time Motz has worked directly under Frushour.
"Col. Frushour inspires me to be a better Marine with the example she sets. She is highly competent, humble, and genuine. Those qualities come through in all her interactions whether she's talking with a lance corporal or a general," said Motz, a native of Austin, Texas. "She leads with compassion, empathy, and understanding and taught me what it means to invest in people in meaningful ways that have long-term implications, not just for their personal development, but for those they lead as well."
In the future, Frushour hopes to be one of the first Marine Corps COMMSTRAT officers to serve as one of the U.S. Combatant Commands Public Affairs Officers. Additionally, as her time in the Marine Corps gets shorter, she plans to continue supporting and leading individuals in the private sector. According to Frushour, as a commanding officer, she is integral to many discussions in which significant decisions are made. Of these discussions, she notes the importance of understanding and communicating the thought process behind “the why.”
“I’ve found that leading marines has so much to do with letting them know why they’re important and why what they are being asked to do is important and how it fits in the grand scheme of things,” said Frushour. “Don’t make people work so hard to know what it is you want them to know.”
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2023 09:54 |
| Story ID: | 441644 |
| Location: | QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 456 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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