Marine Corps Capt. Cari Lara, staff secretary with III Marine Expeditionary Force, poses for a portrait on Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, March 1, 2021. Lara enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 and later commissioned and became the first female unmanned aircraft systems officer. "I wanted to go to college, but was raised by a single dad of three kids. I didn’t have money to afford it. I graduated high school early and enlisted in the Marine Corps. I applied for an NROTC scholarship right out of high school and didn’t get it. But I reapplied as a Lance Cpl and ended up getting it. So
Marine Corps Capt. Cari Lara, staff secretary with III Marine Expeditionary Force, poses for a portrait on Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, March 1, 2021. Lara enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 and later commissioned and became the first female unmanned aircraft systems officer. "I wanted to go to college, but was raised by a single dad of three kids. I didn’t have money to afford it. I graduated high school early and enlisted in the Marine Corps. I applied for an NROTC scholarship right out of high school and didn’t get it. But I reapplied as a Lance Cpl and ended up getting it. So I went to college and commissioned from there. The Marine Corps helped me develop myself and others around me. I’ve gotten to do some pretty awesome things. I have had three different MOS’. I was the first lieutenant and female to be selected as [an unmanned aerial systems] officer when it became a formal MOS. It was an amazing experience to be a part of because you get to see how far things have come. The RQ-21 Blackjack wasn’t a program of record, and we were still testing it. Now it’s used throughout the Marine Corps to provide forward reconnaissance . There were a lot of challenges along with it, but it was good.”
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Photo credit: © Operation 2021 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: expeditionary, force, iii, marine, marines, mef
