 Pfc. Christopher Lee Falls, guide, Platoon 3249, Company L, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, stands tall among the recruits in his platoon during the battalion commanders inspection aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Nov. 27, 2012. After enduing the 12 weeks of recruit training and completing the Crucible, Falls earned the title United States Marine. Photo by USMC Cpl. Matheus Hernandez
| | SAN DIEGO (11/29/2012) - What lies within a man can be different from what lies within a warrior. A warrior contains a code of conduct within himself—a code that embodies a life where integrity, loyalty, honor, selflessness and courage are one's guide. Many people believe they can follow this code, but others know the warrior ethos is the only way of life for them.
This was the attitude that drove one recruit to making a life-changing step, which brought him to recruit training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
“I've always been sort of a history guy and the more I looked into it, I saw that history is based off the battles that have been fought by warriors,” said Pfc. Christopher Lee Falls, guide, Platoon 3249, Company L, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. “Growing up I felt the warrior in me, and honestly, the warrior ethos is what drew me to the Marine Corps.”
Falls, a Tempe, Ariz., native, believes he found his calling when he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. Prior to his departure to recruit training, he was working an honest job, but not something he believed he was meant for.
“I was working a dead-end job as a butcher,” said Falls. “No disrespect to butchers at all, but I knew I wanted more. As a man, I wanted more in life and I knew what that meant. Individuals that are motivated and seized the opportunity are what shaped this world today.”
Although the average age for recruits going into recruit training is 19, Falls' situation was slightly different. Not only was he enlisting at the age of 27, but he was also leaving behind his family for a short while, his wife Heileigh and their 4-year-old daughter, Lilly.
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