U.S. Marines sing The Marines’ Hymn during a Corporal's Course graduation hosted by the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, May 23, 2025. Corporal's Course is designed to provide Marines and Sailors with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to assume greater responsibility as noncommissioned officers. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Judith Ann Lazaro)
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...
