Within the span of one-week Corporal William Grant, a food service worker stationed at Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, was showing off his skills in two drastically different professions.
Grant just finished competing in a Marine Corps Installations Pacific Food Services Specialist of the Quarter competition, August 19, 2026, he prepared a NFL tailgate menu for judges. The week before he was teaching his fellow Marines at a gun range.
He and his teammate, Lance Corporal Eric Gutierrez earned third place and were selected for the “Peoples’ Choice,” category.
The Alliance, Nebraska native said, while living outside of the States on a two-year religious mission, he developed an appreciation for well prepared food.
“Before I joined the Marine Corps, I was living in Argentina. I found a love and passion for food while I was there,” he said.
After returning to the U.S. Grant said he realized that the military could help with his new affinity for food.
“One day I was working on a tractor and I was like, ‘Hey, I’d like to pursue culinary arts, but I don’t want to pay for culinary school.”
His next step was to talk to a military recruiter, he said the Marine Corps was the only option.
I’m pretty sure when I was younger, I saw one of the Marine Corps commercials and thought, I want to be him.
He said he decided to use his GI Bill to pursue another passion he was able to explore in the Marine Corps. He would like to become a firearms instructor, known in the Marines as a Combat Marksman Coach.
“I finally had the opportunity to pursue CMC and become a range coach and once I was able to do that I just continued to fall in love with the weapons, the curriculum, the people,” said Grant.
The teaching craft runs in Grant’s family. His mother and sisters are educators and Grant said that he’s continuing in the tradition through his own niche for firearms instruction.
After serving seven years in the Marine Corps Grant is looking forward to hanging up his uniform when his enlistment ends in December. He’ll be leaving with two passions developed and fortified during his service with the Marine Corps.