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A Strong Legacy and Stronger Finish

Photo By Lance Cpl. Joseph Kreis | U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Brian Wolford, commanding general of Marine Corps...... read more read more

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JAPAN

07.08.2025

Story by Master Sgt. Sven George and Lance Cpl. Brody Robertson

Marine Corps Installations Pacific

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Sgt. Maj. Anthony Easton, outgoing senior enlisted leader of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, relinquished his post to Sgt. Maj. Jorge Ortiz during a relief and appointment ceremony that concluded with a heartfelt tribute marking Easton’s retirement after more than three decades of service. “I’m honored to have served,” Easton said. “If I could continue to serve, I would, because I love this institution. I love the Marine Corps. I love everything that we do. I’ve been lucky enough to serve for 31 years.”
A native of St. Cloud, Minnesota, Easton served honorably for 31 years. His military lineage runs deep, his father and two uncles served in the U.S. Army, and his grandfather served in the U.S. Navy.
Easton’s path to the Corps began with a phone call to his uncle Dale, a former Marine.
“You’re an idiot if you don’t do it,” his uncle told him.
Before his career even started, Easton's journey nearly stalled. During his senior year of high school, he broke his wrist while pole vaulting, leading to his discharge from the Delayed Entry Program.
“I was discharged because I hit the 365-day mark,” Easton recounts. “But as soon as I got healed and cleared, I signed up and went to recruit training a week later.”
Years later, Easton found himself offering similar advice to his cousin Dustin, Uncle Dale’s son, who was considering joining the Navy.
“I said, ‘Do it. Don’t hesitate. If you want to look at all the other branches, fine. But if that’s what you want to do, don’t hesitate,’” he said.
Dustin took his advice, just as Easton had taken his uncle’s, continuing the familial legacy.
Easton began his Marine Corps journey at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in July 1994. He then attended Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton, followed by the Marine Corps Engineer School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where he earned the military occupational specialty of combat engineer.
His first deployment came shortly after.
“I spent a little over three months in Cuba,” He paused, smiling. “Geez, that was legitimately 30 years ago.”
Throughout his distinguished career, Easton deployed multiple times across the world including to Iraq and Afghanistan. However, amongst this lifetime of service, a moment that remains vivid in his memory is Sept. 11, 2001. Along with the rest of the world, Easton watched the horrible spectacle unfold. Over the span of a handful of hours, nearly 3,000 innocent civilians were murdered at the hands of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda and their leader: Osama bin Laden.
“I was on recruiting duty at a community college doing a setup,” he said. “They had TV screens set up, and everybody was floored by what was happening.”
The future of the country as well as the trajectory of SgtMaj. Easton’s career had been irreversibly altered. There was no immediate guidance from higher headquarters, but Easton didn’t need it.
“A lot of veterans wanted to come back in,” Easton remembers, “They asked, ‘How do I get back in? What can I do to serve?’ That’s why I joined the Marine Corps.”
Upon his completion of recruiting duty, Easton deployed to Iraq in 2004, 2006 and 2009 as a first sergeant with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines. He later deployed to Afghanistan from December 2010 to July 2011.
“The nature of warfare may change, but one thing that never does is the cost. The hardest thing you deal with as a service member is the loss of your Marines,” Easton recounts, “I lost Brian P. Kelly on my first deployment in 2004. That was... that was pretty hard.”
His leadership and resilience became hallmarks of his career, traits he has carried into his role as the Sergeant Major of Marine Corps Installations Pacific. Though this posting was his first time being stationed in the Indo-Pacific, it has left an indelible mark on Easton and his family.
“My family and I have fallen in love with Okinawa,” Easton said. “If I could’ve come out here as a junior Marine, knowing what I know now, I’d have done it in a heartbeat.” Easton continued, “We’re not looking forward to leaving this island. The beauty, the hospitality of the people, everything about being stationed here has been phenomenal.”
In addition to overseeing the daily operations and development of MCIPAC, Easton also played a key role in supporting the implementation of Force Design 2030 across the Indo-Pacific.
“From the MCIPAC perspective, how do we best support the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment in their transformation?” he said. “Are we providing the right facilities and training venues? Are we giving them what they need from an installation standpoint to accomplish their Mission Enabling Task List?”
Now closing out his career, Easton reflected on the journey and the lessons learned.
“If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I wouldn’t hesitate,” he said with confidence. “You don’t stay in for the money. You don’t stay in for the benefits. You stay because you love being a Marine. You stay for the Marines.”