U.S. Marines with various units and U.S. Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Midshipmen pose for a photo during Fleet Marine Force East (FMF-E) at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 18, 2025. 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment provided coordination and safety support during FMF-E, a training event with the purpose of familiarizing NROTC Midshipmen who have committed to becoming Marine Corps officers with the primary communities they may serve in. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jorge Borjas)
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Martial arts and combative sports are a skillset many people use for various ways. Some want to learn how to defend themselves in case they are ever attacked. Others have been involved in these sports for years and compete professionally. For U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Charles Copeland, the fire and effects coordination center chief at the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), martial arts and combative sports taught him how to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Copeland grew up in a small town in Minnesota . Even when he was younger, he always found himself being told he couldn’t participate in challenging sports because of his smaller stature compared to the rest of the kids around him.
“I just...
