Recruits with Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, await instruction during swim week on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Dec. 30, 2024. Following coaching, recruits must demonstrate their proficiency in the water in order to progress to the next phase of recruit training. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ava Alegria)
U.S. Marine Corps GySgt. Justin Kelley, the Marine Corps’ first applicant for the Marine Corps Talent Acquisition Pilot (MCTAP), graduated recruit training on Dec. 20,2024 from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. The MCTAP program is designed to address the Corps' need for a rapid process to identify, train, and employ personnel who possess essential skills and relevant experience to meet warfighting requirements. MCTAP enables the service to access eligible candidates, including those with prior Marine Corps service, other military service, or no prior service, to enlist and serve in specific military occupational specialties at ranks equivalent to their experience and expertise. Kelly, who previously served in the U.S. Air...
