QUANTICO, Va. - The Marine Corps Recruiting Command is proud to announce the release of a new advertising campaign, “Warriors of Virtue,” that aligns with Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 – Oct. 15.
“Marines of all backgrounds have contributed to the warrior culture of the Marine Corps and during this month it is important that we recognize those contributions made by Marines of Hispanic descent,” said Capt. Wesley Jagoe, advertising officer, MCRC. “While the campaign was launched during this heritage month, the message is one that resonates with anyone who values the virtues highlighted in it.”
Followers of the recruiting command on social media and Big Ten Network viewers will be treated to a series of banners, scheduled posts and videos throughout the month.
Viewers will be introduced to Capt. Byron Owen, a highly-decorated expeditionary ground reconnaissance officer, as he relates his story of growing up in a Hispanic-American family through the three themes of the campaign; Courage, Knowledge and Pride. Viewers will also meet his parents and learn how they helped shape the man and Marine he is today.
“I learned a lot about pride from my parents.” Owens shares in a YouTube video. “What they always taught me is to temper that pride with humility. Be proud of who you are and where you came from but be humble.”
According to Owen, the values instilled in him by his parents are the reason for his success.
“I think some of the values that we taught him that have now made him a really good Marine are mainly to do your job the best that you can,” Byron’s father James Owen, himself a special forces veteran, says in the campaign.
Owen’s parents also taught him the importance of education.
“Education is the key to bettering yourself. At least that’s what my mother taught me,” said Byron’s mother Miriam Rodriguez-Owen, in one of the YouTube videos.
Throughout the month, followers of MCRC on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram as well as gamers on XBOX Live will be treated to the various elements of the campaign. Viewers of the Big Ten Network will also see the campaign acknowledged on “The Pulse.”
In addition to reaching Hispanic audiences through online initiatives, MCRC will also be engaging with the Hispanic-American community at the 2013 MAES: Latinos in Science and Engineering Symposium in Houston, Sept. 25-28. There, students and professionals in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields will meet Capt. Owen in person and learn how they too can follow the path of Courage, Knowledge and Pride that he has walked.
To see the campaign in its entirety, follow the recruiting command at www.Facebook.com/MarineCorps, www.Twitter.com/USMarineCorps, www.YouTube.com/OurMarines and www.Instagram.com/USMarineCorps and be on the lookout for new posts throughout the month. If you think you have what it takes to be a Warrior of Virtue, visit www.MarineOfficer.com, call 1-800-MARINES or contact your local officer selection officer.