6th Marine Corps District MEOP - The Musician Enlistment Option Program gives young men and women the opportunity to fight and win our Nation’s battles while pursuing their passion for music. While this program serves as a great opportunity, finding the few who are qualified and up to the challenge can be a challenge all in itself. This is because the individual must be not only a skilled musician but first and foremost a Marine.

Capt. Gravelle attends his son's graduation - Improvise, adapt and overcome--a saying that many Marines live by. Serving in the Marine Corps is a difficult but rewarding journey, one that is experienced by both the Marines and their family members. Capt. Darryl Gravelle, recruiting station Charlotte’s operations officer, and his family have grown accustomed to the military lifestyle, for he and his family have a long history of military service. Service that sees no end in the near future.

As high schoolers, both lost their fathers due to heart attacks. Huggan became a father figure for Stanley, who eventually joined the Marine Corps and is now undergoing initial former training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to become a motor transportation operator. - Staff Sgt. Vincent Huggan joins Rosemary Morris in cheering on her son, Stanley, during a wrestling tournament in the Tampa Bay area during the 2019-2020 school year. Huggan, a canvassing recruiter with Recruiting Substation St. Petersburg, Florida, bonded with Stanley, a graduate of Palm Harbor University High School, Palm Harbor, Florida, through shared tragedy. As high schoolers, both lost their fathers due to heart attacks. Huggan became a father figure for Stanley, who eventually joined the Marine Corps and is now undergoing initial former training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to become a motor transportation operator.

David (left) and Brianna (right) pose for a photo at their wedding. (U.S. Marine Corps courtesy photo) - David (left) and Brianna (right) pose for a photo at their wedding. (U.S. Marine Corps courtesy photo)

U.S. Staff Sgt. Brian D. Raney and Raven Campbell eat dinner at The Alley, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Jan. 20, 2018. The local resturnat donated the before the pair participated in a father-daughter dance. Raney is a recruiter currently stationed as with Recruiting Station Nashville, 6th Marine Corps District, Eastern Recruiting Region, Marine Corps Recruiting Command. (U.S. Marines photo by Sgt. Mandaline Hatch) - U.S. Staff Sgt. Brian D. Raney and Raven Campbell eat dinner at The Alley, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Jan. 20, 2018. The local resturnat donated the before the pair participated in a father-daughter dance. Raney is a recruiter currently stationed as with Recruiting Station Nashville, 6th Marine Corps District, Eastern Recruiting Region, Marine Corps Recruiting Command. (U.S. Marines photo by Sgt. Mandaline Hatch)

U.S. Marines and spouses with 6th Marine Corps District (6MCD) pose for a group photo during the District Spouse Orientation Course (DSOC) at the Four Winds Family Readiness Center aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, July 26, 2017. The DSOC provided Marines and their spouses a broad spectrum of tools to help them transition into the Marine Corps’ recruiting field. The spouses came from across the District to build connections and network with fellow spouses. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jack A. E. Rigsby) - U.S. Marines and spouses with 6th Marine Corps District (6MCD) pose for a group photo during the District Spouse Orientation Course (DSOC) at the Four Winds Family Readiness Center aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, July 26, 2017. The DSOC provided Marines and their spouses a broad spectrum of tools to help them transition into the Marine Corps’ recruiting field. The spouses came from across the District to build connections and network with fellow spouses. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jack A. E. Rigsby)

ORANGE CITY, Florida (August 25, 2012)—“The Marine Corps builds character,” said Mr. Robert Blanks, an Original Montford Point Marine. Blanks received the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony held at his residence. Blanks, 85, who enlisted into the Marine Corps during World War II from Bronx, N.Y., welcomed the award in recognition of his service to the nation at a time when racial discrimination was normal and the military services were just beginning to desegregate.Between 1942 and 1949, there were 19, 168 African American recruits at Montford Point, N.C., near Camp Lejeune. Of those Marines, over 13,000 served overseas during the war. Most were assigned to ammunition and depot companies bringing ammunition and supplies to the front lines and transporting wounded and dead Marines back to the beaches.The Congressional Gold Medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor given by congress for distinguished achievement. The President of the United States signed into law the legislation to award the medal to the Montford Point Marines on November 23, 2011. (Official USMC photo by Staff Sgt. Tracie G. Kessler)(Released). - ORANGE CITY, Florida (August 25, 2012)—“The Marine Corps builds character,” said Mr. Robert Blanks, an Original Montford Point Marine. Blanks received the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony held at his residence. Blanks, 85, who enlisted into the Marine Corps during World War II from Bronx, N.Y., welcomed the award in recognition of his service to the nation at a time when racial discrimination was normal and the military services were just beginning to desegregate. Between 1942 and 1949, there were 19, 168 African American recruits at Montford Point, N.C., near Camp Lejeune. Of those Marines, over 13,000 served overseas during the war. Most were assigned to ammunition and depot companies bringing ammunition and supplies to the front lines and transporting wounded and dead Marines back to the beaches. The Congressional Gold Medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor given by congress for distinguished achievement. The President of the United States signed into law the legislation to award the medal to the Montford Point Marines on November 23, 2011. (Official USMC photo by Staff Sgt. Tracie G. Kessler)(Released).