U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. David A. Wilson, the sergeant major of II Marine Expeditionary Force, right, gives a speech to Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and II MEF during a Congressional Delegation at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on Dec. 3, 2024. The Congressional Delegation was as a bi-partisan visit consisting of multiple Representatives from the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense intended to learn more about II MEF operations and capabilities and address issues related to DoD appropriations in North Carolina.
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Martial arts and combative sports are a skillset many people use for various ways. Some want to learn how to defend themselves in case they are ever attacked. Others have been involved in these sports for years and compete professionally. For U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Charles Copeland, the fire and effects coordination center chief at the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), martial arts and combative sports taught him how to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Copeland grew up in a small town in Minnesota . Even when he was younger, he always found himself being told he couldn’t participate in challenging sports because of his smaller stature compared to the rest of the kids around him.
“I just...
