U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. John Aguilar, a New York native and squad leader with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, fires an AT4-CS confined space light anti-armor weapon during a high explosive battle drill at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 4, 2025. As the ground combat element of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Alert Contingency MAGTF (SPMAGTF-ACM), 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines is responsible for conducting ground operations, seizing and occupying terrain, and providing power projection on any potential MAGTF missions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Osmar Vasquezhernandez)
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...
