TULSA, Okla. – For Kaitlyn Imhof, a life already packed with careers as a reserve sheriff’s deputy, front desk medical facility manager, and horse breeder wasn't quite complete. There was still one more title she was determined to earn before it was too late: United States Marine.
At 33-years-old, Imhof realized she was nearing the age limit for military service and knew it was now or never.
“I don’t have any regrets in my life, but I knew that I couldn’t live the rest of my life being one of those people who almost joined the military,” said Imhof.
She requested more information on Marines.com and originally thought she missed the age cut-off. Her husband, a Marine himself, encouraged her to walk into a Marine Corps recruiting office to find out for sure.
"Anything I do, I go all in," Imhof explained. “The Marine Corps is the most elite branch, and I want to be a part of it.”
The path required an age waiver, but she was undeterred. By pursuing a reserve contract, she could balance her new ambition with the life she had already built.
"There was a lot to give up for active duty, so I wanted to keep the multiple careers I had and go into the reserves," she said.
With a father and great-grandfather who served in the Army and a husband in the Marine Corps, service is a core part of Imhof's family identity, fueling her personal drive to build a lasting legacy.
"Legacy is really important to me, so I wanted to make it better by joining the Marine Corps,” she said. “Legacy gives future generations and others something to be inspired by or to be remembered by.”
This goal, however, isn't just about honoring her family's past. For Imhof, it's about living up to her own standards and becoming someone she can personally be proud of.
“I've always had people who inspire me, but I knew I needed to be my own hero,” she said.
With a successful life already established, this next chapter isn't about starting over—it's about adding an important piece. It is the answer to the question that has guided her for years: how to become her own hero. As she prepares to earn the title of United States Marine, she does so not just for her family or for country, but for the person she has always known she was meant to be.