OORAH
This is a photo story I completed as my final project in a photojournalism course. It follows the story of one of my childhood friends as she prepares to graduate high school and enter the Marine Corps. "OORAH" is the battle cry of the Marines.
Katherine Gilberti stands in a Marine Corps recruiting office in Lewisville, Texas on May 4, 2023. Gilberti, 18, is a poolee, which means she has signed an enlistment contract but has not yet left for bootcamp.
Gilberti strives to complete as many pull-ups as possible during an IST, or Initial Strength Test. Marine recruits must take this test at the beginning of bootcamp to ensure they are physically fit enough for training. The IST consists of pull-ups, a plank and a 1.5 mile run. Gilberti completed 11 pull-ups on this day, but her personal record is 13.
Gilberti talks to her recruiter, Staff Sergeant Manzie, about the Advanced Placement courses she has taken in high school. Fifteen or more college credits will earn a Marine recruit an advancement in rank. Gilberti and her recruiter are hoping her college-level AP classes will qualify.
Gilberti holds a plank as part of the IST on the floor of the Marine Corps recruiting office. She said the longest she has ever held a plank was six minutes and three seconds.
Gilberti and the others wait to begin the running portion of the IST.
As a female poolee, Gilberti is seeking to join a small group of Marines. A 2022 Department of Defense report found that 9.4% of active duty Marines are female. Though this percentage has risen through the years, up from 6.1% in 2005, the Marine Corps still has the fewest female members of any branch of the United States military.
Gilberti completes the running portion of the IST faster than any of the other poolees with a time of eight minutes and thirty-nine seconds.
Stretching commences after the run as the Marines look on.
Gilberti and her twin sister Gabi sample shrimp in the backyard of their Highland Village home. Their paternal grandmother is pictured in the foreground. Both sets of the Gilbertis’ grandparents live nearby and play an important role in their lives.
Gilberti and her sister Gabi run six miles together on a Saturday morning. Both participated in track and cross country in high school. They graduate from Marcus High School on May 29, 2023.
Gilberti plays the bass guitar and keyboard in a band called Plain State of Mind. She taught herself how to play the bass guitar just so she could audition for the band. She is pictured here playing at 156 Ice House in Krum, Texas. Plain State of Mind performs rock 'n' roll covers, as well as three original songs. They recently released an EP called "Triple Play."