meritorious promotion to Private First Class.
Following boot camp, Samantha was sent to Marine Combat Training
(MCT). “The Marine Corps is different from most other branches of the
military. Regardless if you are infantry or not, you still go through combat
training because you’re a rifleman first,” said Samantha. After MCT, she
was sent to Marine Occupational Specialist (MOS) school for training in
supply where she received yet another meritorious promotion.
Her first duty station was back at Camp Pendleton. A few months later,
Samantha’s unit was deployed to Altaqqedum, Iraq, where she served for
seven and a half months. By the end of her second year of service, she had
already earned the rank of Corporal (E4).
There was nothing unusual about the day of her injury. Samantha
Hometown Living At Its Best 37
“Boot camp was more about
overcoming fears for
me. I had a fear of heights
and a lot of opportunities to
get over it,” said Samantha.