Photo By Lance Cpl. Kevin Lopez Herrera | U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. James C. Orton, the Prior Service Recruiting Station 6...... read more read more
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, the official insignia of the Marine Corps, marks the transformation from recruit to Marine. This emblem represents "those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past," said retired Sgt. Maj. David W. Sommers. "The emblem of the Corps is the common thread that binds all Marines together, officer and enlisted, past and present... The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor tells the world who we are, what we stand for, and what we are capable of, in a single glance."
Master Sgt. James C. Orton, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 2003. In December 2005, he married Jackie Orton, becoming the father to one-and-a-half-year-old, Andrew T. Johnson. His Marine Corps career brought the Orton family to Naval Air Base Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas; Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois; and Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Now, he serves as the Prior Service Recruiting Station Six chief at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
Orton has instilled Marine Corps values on his children since a very young age. Though he has mentioned the benefits of serving the country in the military, that decision has not been forced unto them.
“[Johnson] had never mentioned to me an interest in joining the Marine Corps, and then at some point during the fall of 2022, he told my wife that he wanted to join the Marine Corps,” said Orton.
Johnson had no plans to enroll to a college or university, and decided that joining the military was his best choice. He gravitated toward joining the U.S. Army at first, seeing as his grandfather was a soldier in the same organization, but ultimately chose the Marines. He wanted the pride of belonging, the challenge, and the title shared with his dad, Orton.
“There has always been higher expectation of me, growing in a Marine household. My dad was one of my role models growing up, and I wanted to be like him,” said Johnson. “So that’s why I decided to join the Marine Corps.”
However, Johnson was not in the best physical condition prior to making this decision. Johnson weighed approximately 300 pounds coming out of high school. He mentioned that this new desire, to earn the title Marine, brought him the motivation to reach the weight standards needed for Marine Corps recruit training. With newfound purpose, Johnson managed to lose over 100 pounds, bringing him to 190 pounds.
One day while he was home, his phone rang and showed a message that read, “Do you want to try something new?” He opened the message and saw a Gunnery Sergeant wrote it. Johnson did not know who he was, but he recognized the Marine rank and took it as a sign to take the next step. That same day he met with the local Marine recruiter and began his enlistment process.
Gunnery Sgt. Rodarrius D. Belcher is a recruiter at Permanent Contact Station Beaufort, Recruiting Substation Savannah, Recruiting Station Columbia. He said that he saw pure determination in Johnson from the very first day, showing how he really wanted to be a Marine. Belcher was shocked to find out that Johnson had not only lost 100 pounds, but that he was also above the average of what is physically required for poolees in the Delayed Entry Program.
“I’m looking forward to see him grow as a Marine, and I’m super proud of him,” said Belcher. “I knew he could do it, and I’m looking forward to see him graduate.”
Johnson began his recruit training on March 6, 2023 with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. To Orton’s surprise, Johnson’s platoon was 2032, which was his same platoon number from when he attended recruit training 20 years ago.
On May 20, 2023, Echo Company completed the Crucible challenge of their Marine Corps recruit training. The culminating event involved a 9-mile hike around the island, where the final stretch led to the Peatross Parade Deck. The roads of Parris Island echoed the chants of soon-to-become Marines. The Echo Marines staged their gear and made a formation in front of the Iwo Jima statues to commence the long-awaited ceremony. The Marines stood tall yet weary, proud to have surpassed the most physically demanding challenge of their recruit training.
Johnson, alongside his brethren, anxiously waited to receive the emblem they fought hard to obtain. Using his peripheral vision, he saw his drill instructor from his right move from Marine to Marine, his heart pumping higher than it was during the hike back. However, a different Marine stepped in front of Johnson, the same man who took him under his wing and called him one of his own. His father and role model reached out and presented him with an Eagle, Globe and Anchor, the one that has accompanied Orton since the day he marched across the same parade deck.
“Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would be watching Andrew or any of my kids stand on the yellow footprints or take those steps and walk across the parade deck as a Marine,” said Orton. Out of the many words he imparted to Johnson during their small exchange, Orton concluded with, “I wasn’t there when you were born, but I was there when you became a U.S. Marine. Semper Fidelis.” Orton also gave him his personal Honor, Courage, and Commitment card, which speaks of the values Marines live by. “It’s pretty awesome to know that he chose to be a Marine like me. When your kid does something like that, it is like they are saying ‘thank you.’ It was a humbling and flattering experience.”
Johnson said that recruit training was challenging. Only recently had he began taking care of his physical conditioning as he prepared for the rigorous challenges ahead. “What kept pushing me was visualizing the end goal of me receiving my Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, making my family proud, not letting myself down by giving up,” Johnson said. “My favorite part of boot camp was the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor ceremony and receiving those two items from my father and seeing how everything was coming to a close made me proud of myself.”
Johnson graduated from platoon 2032, Echo Company, on June 2, 2023, where his family accompanied him and celebrated his achievements. The Echo Company Marines will attend the School of Infantry-East, Camp Geiger, Jacksonville, North Carolina, after their 10-day leave.
If you seek a challenge in a professional environment, and be part of a legacy, talk to your local Marine Corps recruiter, or visit https://rmi.marines.com/6MCD
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2023 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 446264 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 152 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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