SAN DIEGO - One man and one woman who share the same genes also share the same uniform. These Chicago native siblings are more alike than what meets the eye, especially regarding their career, as U.S. Marine Corps drill instructors.
Many may think it is a rare case to have siblings fighting the same battle versus fighting each other, but this common pair shares a common goal. To Influence the product the Marine Corps receives.
Sgt. Mark Peters, drill instructor, Company K, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion and his younger sister, Sgt. Amanda Peters, drill instructor, Company N, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, Parris Island, S.C., spend endless hours training recruits in hopes to meet their goal.
With more than 2,000 miles between them, these two dedicated military members stay motivated by keeping faith and pride in the Corps values, honor, courage and commitment.
Commitment usually plays a big role in the Marines, no matter what task is taken on. For drill instructor duty, a time commitment could be the most demanding of them all.
“The hardest part is time management,” said Mark, 27. “I have a hard time balancing work with my family, but I make it happen.”
Both agreed balancing personal time with work was a bit of a challenge, but neither lacked the understanding of the importance of their presence around the recruits.
“If you want to make good Marines you have to be here as much as you can,” said Amanda, 23. “It’s not only for the recruits, but for the other drill instructors in the company. It’s a team effort.”
Sometimes people say there aren’t enough hours in a day, for drill instructors burning midnight oil becomes a reality on a daily basis. Having the courage to advance and succeed in such a challenging environment is far from easy.
“This is a man’s world that we are bringing these females into,” said Amanda. “I need to show them the don’t have to rely on a man to be successful.”
Showing females the ropes may be a tough task, but influencing them all can be even harder.
“I feel that we can strongly influence the young recruits through our actions and by setting the example,” said Mark. “It takes courage to always do the right thing.”
Honoring the promises they have made to the Marine Corps and the recruits entrusted in their care will happen for this optimistic duo. Consistently positive about their future, they are confident in the abilities to develop recruits into smartly disciplined, physically fit, basically trained Marines.
“If we can take away something from every leader we encounter we can reinforce the characteristics of the Corps and accomplish anything that comes our way,” said Amanda.
Reaching an agreement Mark explained they will change and put a different value on the product we train and put into combat with the help of previous experiences.
With all the similarities and motivation these two share, finding a difference was difficult. The only thing these two haven’t shared was a duty station.
“We’ve always been separated the entire time we have been in the Marine Corps,” said Amanda. “But how would we be able to influence the entire Marine Corps from the same place?” said Mark.
What’s next on their to-do list? Both agree their mission is to be able to build their own product of Marines and leave the “Peters” footprint throughout the Corps.