{"id":76015,"date":"2024-12-20T16:32:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T16:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/12\/20\/recruit-to-gunny-1st-marine-graduates-from-talent-acquisition-program\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:11:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:11:01","slug":"recruit-to-gunny-1st-marine-graduates-from-talent-acquisition-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2024\/12\/20\/recruit-to-gunny-1st-marine-graduates-from-talent-acquisition-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Recruit to gunny: 1st Marine graduates from talent acquisition program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Justin Kelley left the Air Force in 2015, he was an E-5 \u2013 a staff sergeant in the service\u2019s rank structure. But when he graduated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2024\/12\/19\/marines-can-now-reenlist-early-some-for-up-to-15-years\/\" target=\"_blank\">Marine Corps<\/a> boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, on Friday, he became a gunnery sergeant \u2014 a two-rank promotion that will propel him directly into the Corps\u2019 seasoned noncommissioned officer ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This unconventional promotion, particularly for the Marine Corps, which often requires service transfers to start from the beginning of the rank structure, is thanks to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/2024\/06\/04\/marines-fast-track-qualified-cyber-signals-recruits-to-rank-of-gunny\/\" target=\"_blank\">Marine Corps Talent Acquisition Program<\/a>, or MCTAP, an initiative announced earlier this year designed to attract high-demand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/07\/03\/marine-corps-triples-enlistment-bonuses-for-cyber-jobs\/\" target=\"_blank\">cyberspace warfare<\/a> and signals intelligence talent into the service with the added incentive of seniority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First promoted in June, the program quickly received some 50 applicants, representing prior-service Marines who\u2019d gotten out; prospective transfers from other services; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/recruiting\/2024\/06\/17\/marines-move-some-recruiting-centers-to-urban-hubs-in-massive-realignment\/\" target=\"_blank\">civilians who\u2019d never served before<\/a>, said Master Gunnery Sgt. Sage Goyda, the program\u2019s lead planner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From that group, three were selected in an intensive application and interview process to participate in the program. Kelley, the only selectee who was not a prior <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2024\/09\/30\/marines-barely-meet-annual-recruiting-goals-but-see-encouraging-signs\/\" target=\"_blank\">Marine<\/a>, was the first to enter the pipeline, checking into boot camp in September alongside all the other young recruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2024\/12\/19\/marines-can-now-reenlist-early-some-for-up-to-15-years\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/reenlist.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Marines can now reenlist early, some for up to 15 years<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Marine Corps initiatives have already yielded historic retention results, with the Corps hitting 114% of its annual retention goal in Fiscal Year 2024.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with Marine Corps Times shortly after completing the final Crucible exercise and receiving his Eagle, Globe and Anchor emblem, Kelley, 38, acknowledged he\u2019d had some misgivings about attending boot camp as a mid-career dad with 20 years more experience than most of his fellow recruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat I thought was going to be the most challenging was what I ended up loving the most about this entire process,\u201d Kelley said. \u201cAs an older man, I was not looking forward to a squad bay with 17, 18-year-olds. \u2026 What I found, though, is that I loved being with the young Marines. I loved being a part of their journey of becoming Marines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey looked at me as an older individual that had expertise to give, and from teaching them how to share to going through \u2018Dear John\u2019 letters with some of them, it was a rewarding experience for me that I didn\u2019t expect to have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the other recruits saw Kelley as a boot camp \u201cdad,\u201d Kelley said he made sure that the drill instructors knew he respected them. In a high-pressure panel interview before senior officers and NCOs as part of the MCTAP selection process, he said he was asked about that dynamic in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe answer I gave them was, absolutely all those Marines and drill instructors know infinitely more about being a Marine than I do,\u201d Kelley said. \u201cWe can\u2019t think about it in terms of age.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For their part, he said, the DIs treated him no differently than any other recruit. Appointed a \u201cguide\u201d for his platoon, Kelley was even on the receiving end of extra incentive training when recruits in his unit fell short of expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHonestly, that ended up being kind of a blessing,\u201d Kelley said, explaining that the experiences gave him a chance to mentor the younger recruits and encourage them in their growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"7473\" height=\"5364\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/241207-M-WD009-1240.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-108740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/241207-M-WD009-1240.jpg.jpg 7473w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/241207-M-WD009-1240.jpg.jpg?resize=300,215 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/241207-M-WD009-1240.jpg.jpg?resize=768,551 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/241207-M-WD009-1240.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,735 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/241207-M-WD009-1240.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1103 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/241207-M-WD009-1240.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1470 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 7473px) 100vw, 7473px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kelley gets his rank insignia pinned by a drill instructor aboard Parris Island, South Carolina. (Courtesy MCRD Parris Island)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kelley\u2019s drive to return to service after a decade in the Air Force and a civilian career as an entrepreneur, software developer and contractor training troops stemmed from a desire to put the skills he\u2019d acquired to the most effective use possible in preparing for future conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With his cyber skills, that made him exactly the sort of candidate the Marines were seeking for the MCTAP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBy wearing the uniform again, you\u2019re putting skin into the game and saying, \u2018I\u2019m committed to making this a better process,\u2019 and you\u2019re also able to make those decisions, effect that policy change in a way that you would would never be able to [out of uniform],\u201d Kelley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boot camp, an immutable requirement for all MCTAP participants except for prior Marines, did come with intense physical challenges, but Kelley said he actually found these easier in his late 30s than he had in entry-level Air Force training as a younger man, crediting \u201ca different type of mental fortitude\u201d he\u2019d acquired over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His most memorable experiences, he said, were the extreme physical tests that forced the recruits to work together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe bond that you felt with that was so strong,\u201d Kelley said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very special feeling to have such a bond with young men that you never knew before, and in normal circumstances, you never would talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Kelley graduates boot camp Dec. 20, he\u2019s headed to Marine Corps Cyber Command, his destination unit, to begin putting his expertise to work as a member of the Marine Corps Reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He knows that his presence may be viewed with suspicion by some Marines in a service that places a heavy emphasis on earning rank and status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven in my short time here, you know, there have been some individuals who have been \u2026 concerned that this is going to be tarnishing the respect that is due to staff NCOs and NCOs in the Marine Corps,\u201d Kelley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have no illusions about the fact that I know more about anyone else, about learning constantly from all the way from a staff sergeant to a lance corporal. Once I\u2019ve had that conversation with them, every one of them to a T has said, \u2018Well, okay, you know, maybe this program will work.\u2019 Are there going to be those that are still naysayers? Absolutely, and the only way to prove them wrong is to do the job and do it well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two MCTAP applicants in the final stages of selection, Goyda said, are both prior Marines who left the service as junior NCOs. They would not have to attend boot camp but may have required follow-on training before being able to report to their unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MCTAP, currently a pilot program set to expire in 2026, is still accepting applications, Goyda said, at <a href=\"mailto:talentmanagement@usmc.mil\">talentmanagement@usmc.mil<\/a>. He emphasized that MCTAP is not intended to be a shortcut to rank and seniority, but a recognition of expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re not being fast-tracked,\u201d Goyda said, \u201cThey\u2019re just earning their experience and education outside of the military.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for Kelley, he hopes that MCTAP will eventually work its way out of a job as the Corps\u2019 ranks of cyber and signals intelligence experts become more robust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe point of the talent acquisition pilot is to find those skillsets that are desperately needed in the community and bring them to the Corps,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I\u2019m not doing my job, that means that a replacement for me in industry needs to be brought in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy aspirations are that this is no longer necessary and that we\u2019re able to transpose our knowledge and build a core cadre of individuals that know what needs to be done, how to do it, and thus make this unnecessary. That\u2019s my big picture.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Justin Kelley graduates today from Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, he\u2019ll be a gunnery sergeant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":108737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-featured-layout","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2513],"class_list":["post-76015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2SDAVF37OBFJ3DPDZ4XKFHH75A","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2024\/12\/20\/recruit-to-gunny-1st-marine-graduates-from-talent-acquisition-program\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"featured-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Recruit to gunny: 1st Marine graduates from talent acquisition program - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Justin Kelley graduates today from Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, he\u2019ll be a gunnery sergeant.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Recruit to gunny: 1st Marine graduates from talent acquisition program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Justin Kelley graduates today from Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, he\u2019ll be a gunnery sergeant.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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