Staff Sergeant Kevin A. Trotman, a Marine Corps recruiter from the Vineland office, helped enlist two women from Cumberland County who recently graduated with honors from Parris Island Boot Camp–November Company 3rd Battalion. Trotman was flown to the North Carolina Parris Island location to watch the graduation.

Kiomara Batista-Rodriguez, 19, from Millville, was Company Honor Graduate for being the most physically fit individual with a total score of 590 out of 600 earning the title of Platoon and Company Iron Man among 200-plus male and female recruits. She received a meritorious promotion upon graduating to an E-2/Private First Class.

Noelia Bravo Velazquez, also 19, from Bridgeton, earned the Award of Platoon and Company Honor Graduate among four platoons containing about 60 recruits in each platoon. She also received a meritorious promotion upon graduating to an E-2/Private First Class.

“Both recruits spoke to me in January about wanting to serve their country and be the best versions of themselves,” Trotman said. “A month later they enlisted into the United States Marine Corps as part of the Delayed Entry Program in which we physically and mentally prepared them for bootcamp in that program up until they shipped out in March.”

Batista-Rodriguez and Bravo Velazquez went to recruit training/ bootcamp for three months before graduating on June 21. During that period, they went through intense drilling, martial arts with hand-to-hand combat training, obstacle courses, water survival training, rifle qualifications, and finally The Crucible, which is a 54-hour evolution compiled of everything they had learned from training day 1 to training day 64.

When asked for his recruitment callout, Trotman said, “Break the cycle and bring out the potential in you, ensuring that more opportunities will be created for our next generations.” He invites you to visit the United States Marine Corps PCS Vineland Recruiting Center at 301 S. Main Road in Vineland.