MARINE COPRS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- As the time on contract comes to an end, qualified U.S. Marines must choose between departing active-duty service for other opportunities or reenlisting. One determined U.S. Marine, Cpl. Anissia Thompson, a data systems administrator with II Marine Expeditionary Force, has worked hard to be selected for reenlistment in the Commandant’s Retention Program, commemorating the occasion with a reenlistment ceremony on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Aug. 8, 2022.
Growing up, Thompson, a Jamaica native, lived with her mother in Jamaica while her father lived in Key West, Florida. She began high school in Jamaica at Westwood High School, an all-girls etiquette school, when she was 11. In 2013, at the age of 13, she moved to the United States permanently to make things easier on her mother who was striving to make ends meet and graduated from Key West High School in Key West, Florida, in 2017. The affordable school systems and financial stability of the United States provided her more opportunities for her future after high school.
After spending two years at Florida Southwestern State College, Thompson enlisted in the Marine Corps because she was excited to experience a new kind of adventure. She wanted to make decisions for herself and travel the world.
"When I was learning about the Marine Corps, I discovered that it was supposed to be a challenge,” Thompson said. “I always saw myself as someone who was ready to take on any challenge. That excited me. I wanted the adventure of it. To be able to defend the country and show patriotism. I was super excited.”
According to Thompson, she served her first enlistment with pride and had access to adventure and the opportunity to learn new skill sets, such as being certified in Security Plus for her job as a data systems administrator, which is a transferrable certification she can use when she exits the military. She enjoyed her first enlistment, but she wants to continue her service and has set her sights on the opportunity to deploy.
Recalling the last few years, Thompson notes that it wasn’t always easy. She needed to demonstrate mental fortitude to continue thriving in the face of the adversity and adjusting to the military lifestyle.
“I wouldn’t say that I had very many specific challenges,” she said. “It just felt more like trying to find where I fit in and how to move forward. I would have to tell myself, you failed but get up and keep going.”
Although her Marine Corps career has been filled with a plethora of accomplishments, opportunities, and challenges, she believes she still has much to give and experience. Challenges aside, her first term gave her the chance to achieve quite a few accomplishments.
Thompson received a certificate of commendation for serving on the II Marine Expeditionary Force Martial Arts Center of Excellence Boxing Team, training for over 1,300 hours and running 800 miles with no previous boxing experience beforehand. Additionally, she was inducted into the Marine Corps Boxing Hall of Fame on Aug. 6, 2022, for coaching the All-Marine Boxing Team.
Thompson has also had the opportunity to travel to local areas due to her boxing career. Thompson’s first fight was in Angier, North Carolina where she fought a novice civilian boxer, and with the former II Marine Expeditionary Force Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Brian D. Beaudreault (retired), as a spectator in attendance. Since then, she has fought novice boxers from both civilian and U.S. Army boxing teams in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. Additionally, she received a trophy for Best Female Boxer of the Night at the 2021 Freedom Fight hosted in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Boxing wasn’t the only activity she partook in throughout her first term however. Thompson has also been pursuing educational opportunities over the past year, using tuition assistance to work towards her bachelor’s degree in exercise science and kinesiology at American Military University.
With such achievements and opportunities in her first term as a United States Marine comes the hunger and drive to experience and achieve even more, so Thompson decided to reenlist for a second term.
“I decided to reenlist because I want to see another side of the Marine Corps,” Thompson said. “I want to see something different and travel more. I want to experience new aspects of military life and learn more about my job, as well as climb the ranks and paint myself as more of a leader.”
After receiving orders to Okinawa, Japan, Thompson’s journey continues along with her drive to succeed and the desire to experience other aspects of the Marine Corps. “I want to be more hands on. I am looking for more of a typical Marine experience and to be outdoors more,” she said.
According to Thompson, her journey since speaking to the Marine Corps recruiter has taught her many things through experience and training. This newfound knowledge gives her the chance to mentor and assist Marines in exploring their options in reenlisting.
"You should reenlist if you know within yourself that it’s what you want,” Thompson said. “If you have the desire to accomplish something for yourself, do it. It’s not easy, but at the same time it isn’t hard. Sure, it is a commitment, but if you know that you are absolutely, 100%, prepared to handle what the Marine Corps throws at you, just go for it.”
Thompson has distinguished herself from her peers through exceptional performance and professional competency leading to her being hand selected as part of the Commandant’s Retention Program and First-Term Alignment Program to reenlist. These programs retain the most talented First Term Marines by streamlining the reenlistment process and offering meaningful incentives to reenlist.