Photo By Sgt. Dalton Payne | U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Chad Falkos retires from service after 21 honorable yeears,...... read more read more
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – From bittersweet endings to new beginnings, Marine Corps Recruiting Station Chicago said goodbye and happy retirement to Master Sgt. Chad Falkos on March 10th. He served as the RS’s Operations Chief. He was one of the few Marines that have the drive to become a career recruiter. If the Marines are the 1%, career recruiters are the .01%. He spent a considerable portion of his career dedicated to the next generation of Marines. Master Sgt. Falkos served 21 honorable years in the Marine Corps. He’s welcomed home by his wife and 3 children. At his ceremony in St. Charles, IL, he discussed the sacrifices Marines make in their careers, his friendships formed along the way, and his defining moments as a Marine.
Enlisting in 2002, then recruit Falkos, attended bootcamp at MCRD San Diego where he earned the title of Marine. From there he went to Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton and his occupational school in 29 Palms, California. In 2003 Pfc. Falkos received orders to Okinawa, Japan to begin his fleet experience as a Ground Radio Repairman. Then being sent to North Carolina as a part of 2d Maintenance Battalion, 2d Marine Logistics Group in 2004. He deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 and 2007 where he played an immense role in the maintenance and repair of our communications assets. In 2009 he received orders to 2d Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment in Chicago, Illinois. In March of 2010 he was attached to the Inspector-Instructor Staff where he performed several hundred funeral honors. In 2012 Staff Sgt. Falkos was transferred to 9th Marine Corps Recruiting District to begin recruiting duty. In 2015 he was assigned the Military Occupational Specialty of 8412, the coveted, Career Recruiter. Gunnery Sgt. Falkos was then assigned to be the Assistant Recruiter Instructor (ARI) for Recruiting Station Chicago in 2018. After holding the billet of ARI until 2021 he was assigned as the Operations Chief as well as being promoted to Master Sergeant in that same year. While serving as the Operations Chief he was responsible for shipping over 1300 young men and women to MCRD Parris Island and San Diego for Recruit Training.
Life as a service member comes with sacrifice. We all raise our right hand and repeat the Oath of Enlistment knowing that fact. However, sacrifice isn’t just on the shoulders of the service members; it lies with their families back home too. As the Marines are the first to fight, their families are the ones staying up at night. Master Sgt. Falkos’ family is no stranger to this.
During his remarks he touched on his time performing funeral honors for service members and veterans who have passed on. He said that his time there was some of the most important of his career. He explained that as he performed their final uniform inspection, he’s reminded of their sacrifice. They paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, for our Country, for our Corps.
Master Sergeant Falkos, thank you for your honorable service. We wish you fair winds and following seas. Semper Fidelis.
For more information or general questions about this story contact the Director of Marketing and Communication for Marine Corps Recruiting Station Chicago, Sgt. Dalton Payne, Dalton.Payne@marines.usmc.mil.
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2023 16:54 |
| Story ID: | 441508 |
| Location: | CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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