A Marine corporal from a family of Marines welcomed her brother into the Corps during a ceremony after the final test of boot camp, a moment caught on video by their father, a Marine veteran. The clip captures the emotional moment Cpl. Taylor Hairfield stepped into a ceremony at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, to present her brother, Kevin Christensen, with her own Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, or EGA, after his boot camp class had completed the grueling Crucible.
According to their father, the young Marine didn’t know his sister would be at the ceremony. Hairfield and her husband, who are both in Marine intelligence, were scheduled to move to Japan soon after Christensen’s graduation.
“The last part of the Crucible is a 10-mile hike, and when they were coming back from the hike, getting ready to go out on the parade deck and get through globe and anchors, he saw her standing there, and he just started balling in formation while they were marching,” the pair’s father, a retired Marine whose name is also Kevin Christensen, told Task & Purpose. “I mean, he couldn’t even keep it together. So it was very, very special for us.”
For all Marine recruits, completing the Crucible is the final step of recruit training and the moment when they know they can call themselves Marines. Christensen is now the 7th in his family to reach that moment.
The newly christened Marine struggles to hold his composure as Hairfield congratulates him, passes words of encouragement, pokes him in the chest, and gives him a brief hug.
Taylor posted the same video five days later, with the onscreen text: “proudest big sister in the world.”
“This is one of the highlights of my life as a father. And it truly like this video will be with me forever,” said the elder Christensen. “And it’s truly special being a Marine myself. I know what that moment is, where you get your Eagle, Globe, and Anchor at the end of the crucible. I know how emotional it is.”
Marines are usually presented the emblem by a Drill Instructor or other training official when they complete the multi-day training event at the end of recruit training (another Marine can be seen awarding EGAs behind the pair in the formation). But Hairfield stepped in to pass along her own to her brother.
“Giving my little brother his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. The emblem that represents our Marine Corps. It was the same one I received just a few years ago, on the same parade deck,” Hairfield wrote in an Instagram post. “He’s the 7th Marine in our family, and I’m so glad I got to do this before I leave the country for the next 3 years. Semper Fi!”
The EGA comprises an Eagle representing the United States, a globe to denote worldwide service, and an anchor to pay homage to the service’s naval roots. Once someone earns their EGA, they can officially call themselves a Marine.
“I’ve watched you grow up from this little snot-nosed, annoying kid, into now a United States Marine. While I know the days of arguing over the Xbox controller and Minecraft are over, I couldn’t be more excited to watch you flourish in this world,” Taylor said in the post. “Your career will be nothing short of amazing. You’re kick ass, and I have no doubts that you’ll be a stellar Marine. I love you, kid. There isn’t a prouder big sister out there. Enjoy that Warrior’s breakfast!”
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The symbol has a long history behind it as the Marine Corps emblem. The EGA’s appearance dates back to the Marine Corps’ inception in 1775.
Perhaps predictably, the newly-minted PFC Christensen took some good-natured heat for the video when it spread among his fellow recruits.
“They asked, ‘which one of you was the one that cried like a b—h when your sister gave him the Eagle, Globe and Anchor?”” Christensen said. “And the whole room just busted. Now my son, look, he grew up in this household. We pick on each other. All three of my kids are tough as nails, emotionally and physically. So when the guy said it, he thought it was hilarious. Everybody busted out laughing.”
Though Hairfield’s words are hard to hear in the video, Christensen said, her message was simple.
“All she said to him was, you know, don’t let the Brotherhood down,” he said. “You worked hard to get here. You need to represent the Marine Corps the same way you represent our family. I love you.”
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