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When Cpl. Callahan Brown sees an opportunity to do something, she
takes it. Brown is an adjutant for Marine Aviation Logistics
Squadron 26 on Marine Corps Air Station New River and is taking as
many chances as she can to become anything she puts her mind to.
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March 3, 2017 - Cpl. Callahan Brown sits atop an aircraft that’s
undergoing maintenance at Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26 on
Marine Corps Air Station New River. Brown is currently a full time
student at Coastal Carolina Community College and plans to
commission to become an officer when she becomes a sergeant or
completes her degree. Brown is the adjutant for MALS 26. (U.S.
Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Juan Madrigal)
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Brown joined the Marine Corps because she wanted to
follow in her father’s footsteps of military service, who
retired as a colonel in the Air Force.
"I wanted to
join the Marine Corps just so I would own all of my
accomplishments. My dad always has a joke around November. I
say, ‘Dad I’m super excited about the Marine Corps Ball’ and
he says ‘Wait, Marines have balls?’"
Brown joined the Marine Corps in 2013 and
became the company honor graduate, company Iron Man for her
physical fitness scores and received the Molly Marine award
for exemplifying what it means to be a Marine.
After
boot camp, Brown volunteered to go to Infantry Training
Battalion East instead of Marine Combat Training. She passed
the basic infantry course and while in her military
occupation specialty school she was given the opportunity to
participate in a yearlong study to see how women would fare
compound to men in infantry skills with Ground Combat
Element Integrated Task Force.
"It was a very
humbling experience," said Brown. "The majority of the
Marines in the course have combat action ribbons and were in
various operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was something
I’m happy I was able to complete without any injuries and do
early on in my career."
Brown checked in with her
current unit in 2015 and met the command along with everyone
she’d be working with.
"I met Cpl. Brown in June of
2015 when she checked into the unit," said Sgt. Maj. Willie
Edens, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26. "She was
aggressive, she had a real go-getter attitude one hundred
percent. At that point in time, I’m thinking alright, let’s
see how this works out. A lot of people show up to the
fleet, they have that kind of aggressive attitude and
somehow or another they lose a little bit of it, and they
have to regain it, but she never lost the fire, wanting more
information upfront. I was hoping to see her eventually make
it to this point, but I didn’t see it happening in the
beginning."
Brown eventually caught the attention of
her leaders and was assigned to be the adjutant for MALS-26.
Brown was promoted to corporal Mar. 1. She’s enjoyed her
time on the command deck and all the experiences that come
with it.
"It’s an admin job but I like it up here
because it’s different. I’m able to see this bigger picture
that being a lance corporal at the time working on the birds
I never got to experience, so a lot of the things we deal
with makes sense now up here because I see now how it falls
down."
Brown plans to go through the Marine Enlisted
Commissioning Education Program if she becomes a sergeant
before gets her degree. If she gets her degree first then
she’ll go through the Enlisted Commissioning Program. Brown
is currently going to Coastal Carolina Community College as
a full-time student, working at Cracker Barrel on the
weekends to help pay for the cost.
"I think that Cpl.
Brown is going to be one of those that will continue to
carry that torch and inspire others to be trailblazers like
herself," said Edens. "I’m honored that my last year out of
thirty years in the Marine Corps I had a chance to actually
work with her."
By U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Juan Madrigal
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
The U.S. Marines
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