NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. -- “Once a Marine always a Marine.” A quote every Marine has heard before and a quote which Staff Sergeant David S. Andrews, a Marine prior service recruiter lives by. Andrews grew up in Henry County, Georgia and joined the Marines in 2006 shorty after graduating high school. Andrews would spend his first four years of his enlistment as a 0311 (Infantryman), stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
After serving for four years, Andrews decided to leave the military and pursue a college degree. After being in the civilian side for three months, Andrews would make the decision to return to the Marine Corps as a reservist, before officially joining the active reserve three and a half years later.
Andrews' career in the active reserve brought him to the School of Infantry in Camp Lejeune in 2015. Andrews would spend three years there as an instructor before getting orders to New Orleans to be the training chief at Headquarters Battalion, Marine Forces Reserve. Currently, as of June 2021, Andrews works as a prior service recruiter, accomplishing the same mission that once brought him back in to the Corps.
As a prior service recruiter, Andrews’ mission is to ensure the Reserves are fully manned and ready. His specific goal is to scout out those Marines that have taken off the uniform but wish to wear it once more. Andrews does this by recruiting out of the Cherry Point, Stone Bay, New River area which is heavily populated with prior Marines.
Through his work, Andrews participates in events such as Transition Readiness Seminars (TRS) to retention briefs with career planners and career fairs.
Andrews has given eight TRS trainings alone this July and expects to do more next month. He conducts these trainings to provide Marines the opportunity to choose their path as well as supply further options.
“I just want to let those Marines know that, whether they want to go full active again or reserves, that they have those options available to them,” said Andrews.
Andrews is an example of a “Once a Marine, always a Marine”, even after leaving the military he knew that the Marine Corps was his calling, and now he works to guide fellow Marines through new opportunities once provided to him.