QUANTICO, Va. — Marine Corps Recruiting Command is running a new social media advertising campaign, “A Warrior’s Education,” through June 7 to align with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
The 3-million-plus followers of MCRC’s official Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages will see an assortment of content highlighting the authentic stories of two active-duty Asian American Marine officers – 1st Lieutenants David Pham and Oliver David.
The campaign was developed by MCRC with the assistance of its contracted advertising agency. The first dedicated campaign geared towards the Asian American community, “A Warrior’s Education” is part of the recruiting command’s continued efforts to improve diversity representation in the Marine Corps.
“The Marine Corps is an inclusive organization and recognizes the heritage of every Marine during these special months,” said Eric Lindsay, strategic marketing specialist, MCRC. “Through market research conducted by MCRC, we found that education is highly valued in the Asian American community. Marines are warriors, and through recruit training, Officer Candidates School, formal schools, continuing education programs, and experience as Marines they receive ‘A Warrior’s Education.’”
In his planning guidance, commandant Gen. James F. Amos highlighted the importance of education: “We will better educate and train our Marines to succeed in distributed operations and increasingly complex environments. We will invest more in the education of our non-commissioned officers and junior officers, as they have assumed vastly greater responsibility in both combat and garrison.”
Content in “A Warrior’s Education” will include scheduled Facebook posts and Tweets, a dedicated and shareable tab with campaign content on Facebook, custom photo galleries allowing visitors to learn more about the featured Marines, and four videos made for the campaign, to name a few features. Social-media users will learn what kind of “warrior’s education” Pham and David have received in the Marine Corps.
“Marine officers are put into more positions of responsibility from the beginning of their careers than any organization in the civilian world would give you,” said David, a Long Beach native currently serving as a public affairs officer with the 2nd Marine Division. “The ‘warrior’s education’ we receive is what prepares us to take on such huge responsibilities.”
Pham, an infantry officer currently serving as the executive officer of Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, cites leadership training as a key component to his “warrior’s education.”
“As a young officer the leadership experience you receive is priceless,” said Pham, a Savannah, Ga. native. “Straight out of college, infantry officers are thrown into a platoon of combat veterans and expected to lead them.”
To see “A Warrior’s Education” in its entirety, visit and follow the MCRC’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages — www.Facebook.com/MarineCorps, www.Twitter.com/USMarineCorps and www.YouTube.com/OurMarines. To contact your local officer selection officer, visit www.MarineOfficer.com or call 1-800-MARINES.