MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – “I think that an investment in yourself is an investment in continued survival. The Marine Corps has provided me with structure, and it’s on me to improve in ways that pay off long term,” said U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jacob Coby, a financial management resource analyst with the travel section of Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.

Growing up playing sports and exploring the varied landscapes of California, Coby was an average kid, but he wanted to be challenged. He decided to take time off after high school, and then began attending college but without a major in mind or any solid plans. Coby tried to figure out what he was going to do with his life but felt that he had become stagnant in his pursuit of higher education. He decided it was time to take control of his life by embarking on the challenge to become a U.S. Marine, but he was turned down by his local recruiting station.

After being rejected by the Marine Corps, Coby lost any motivation he had left. A few weeks later, while he was trying to decide on a new direction for his life, he received a call from a U.S. Army recruiter. “I was into the whole ‘there’s strong, and [then] there’s Army strong’ mentality,” Coby said. “That really got me motivated, but it really came from just not having anything to do and wanting to have a fresh start. That’s what initially drew me in.”

Coby went on to serve a year in South Korea and then three years in Fort Knox, Kentucky as an electric generator technician. Despite his initial success joining the Army, Coby ultimately ended up facing his biggest internal challenge yet. He felt like he didn’t have a voice in such a large branch of service, which led to a sense of meaninglessness in his career.

Toward the end of his time in the Army, Coby was on the fence between attempting an interservice transfer to the Marine Corps or going to college in Colorado. After weighing out his options, he decided that joining the Marine Corps could give him the stability and the education he was always looking for.

While Coby was trying to move into the Marine Corps, he had to get documents transferred from the Army, which provided an opportunity for the Army recruiter to talk to him again. The recruiter tried to keep him from joining the Marine Corps by offering incentives such as duty station preference, higher pay, and more. Although the Marine Corps offered none of these things, Coby still decided to follow his heart and declined the Army’s incentives, instead choosing to become a U.S. Marine.

“He’s going to school and doing a bunch of other things too. So, he keeps himself occupied and is constantly trying to get better at everything he does,” said U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. James DeTulleo, the travel section officer-in-charge for MCAS Iwakuni.

So far during his time in the Marine Corps, he has found a variety of avenues through which to challenge himself. He has completed several online college classes to further his progress toward earning a degree in neurobiology. He currently focuses on his struggle with math, while still committing himself to constant improvements in academics and other areas (he regularly achieves perfect scores on both the Marine Corps physical fitness test and combat fitness test). Coby stated, “That’s the hardest thing for me to accomplish, it just proves to my younger self that I got past that hurdle.”

DeTulleo stated, “He’s a jack of all trades. There’s really not much I can ask Coby to go do that he won’t figure out. It’s not always just in the office; he’s constantly coming in asking if he can go do volunteer work or go on working parties for the command. We appreciate him here and are very lucky to have him.”