Nov. 9, 2026 | By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ayden Cassano, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island
For two cousins, the journey to earning the title of United States Marine was more than a personal challenge — it was a chance to carry on their fathers’ legacy.
With both of their fathers having served in the Marine Corps, Pfc. Caleb Campbell and Pvt. Hunter Campbell grew up connected by a shared heritage. Now, training together in Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, they can follow in their fathers’ footsteps while forging their own paths.
Both Caleb and Hunter Campbell enlisted for their own reasons, with their fathers strongly influencing their decisions. Caleb’s father, Joshua Campbell, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2001 as a field radio operator. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, for most of his career, where he met his wife and where Caleb was born. He deployed to Thailand and spent his final year of service at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Hunter’s father, Zachary Campbell, also enlisted in 2005 as a field radio operator. He was stationed at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, where he spent his career and deployed to Iraq.
Hunter Campbell wanted to become a Marine for years, but his father encouraged him to consider other options.
“I was actually trying to talk him out of it,” Zachary Campbell said. “Not because I don’t like the Marine Corps; I love the Marine Corps. I just wanted to make sure his heart was actually set on it, and it was.”
Caleb Campbell was playing baseball in college when his cousin joined. He considered enlisting, and then after his second year, he told his father: “I’m joining the Marine Corps. Don’t try to talk me out of it.” He said he wanted a better future for himself, inspired by his father and uncle. “I view my father as a great dad, a great husband and a great family man,” Caleb Campbell said. “I think he has the Marine Corps to thank for that, so it’s a big reason why I joined.”
The cousins did not plan to train together.
Hunter Campbell entered the Delayed Entry Program at Marine Corps Recruiting Station Prattville, Alabama, in 2025, with a projected ship date in August 2026. Caleb Campbell enlisted at Marine Corps Recruiting Station Florence, Alabama, where he was projected to leave in September 2026, under an intelligence contract. However, he decided to leave sooner under a reconnaissance contract and left for Parris Island, South Carolina, the same day as his cousin.
Although they lived about 200 miles apart, the cousins reunited in the same company completely by chance.
“He had been planning on joining for a while, and it came up quickly for me,” Caleb Campbell said. “So, we had our conversations like, ‘Oh, it would be pretty cool if we ended up going at the same time,’ but nothing was ever planned.”
They trained in different platoons: Caleb in Platoon 2077 and Hunter in Platoon 2076; their drill instructors did not know they were cousins.
“Being in different platoons, seeing each other and barely interacting with each other was more than enough for me,” Caleb Campbell said. “I felt good knowing that he’s here, he’s thriving, he’s doing his thing, and I’m hoping he’s seeing me doing it as well.”
On the final day of the Crucible — a 54-hour final test that pushes recruits through intense physical, mental, and moral challenges — the cousins passed under the “We Make Marines” sign and earned their eagle, globe and anchor at the Iwo Jima Monument while their families watched.
After earning the title of Marine, they reunited with their fathers.
“The amount of pride you have, you just can’t describe it,” Joshua Campbell said. “Of course it was emotional seeing both of them, and for both of them to go through it together, it just couldn’t have been better.”
The two cousins graduated Nov. 6 and will continue their own paths as Marines; their fathers couldn’t be prouder of the continuing legacy.
“We both know what it means to earn the eagle, globe and anchor. We understand the traditions, the sacrifices, the pride, and the lifelong brotherhood that accompany the title of Marine,” Zachary Campbells said. “Now our sons have chosen to pursue that same brotherhood, not because they were required to, but because they wanted to earn it for themselves. There is something incredibly meaningful about knowing that the two boys we watched grow up are now enduring the same transformation that shaped us as young men.”
