Rebecca Culp was looking for a way to pay for college and see other parts of the world when she enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2001. She had no idea she would end up soaring over war zones in Iraq, assisting refugees in Afghanistan, and traveling to more than half a dozen countries.
“I’m proud to have served in the military for 22 years,” said Culp, an administrative coordinator for the SC Highway Patrol. “I was able to support my family through something that I really enjoyed doing.”
A native of Sacramento, California, Culp considers herself an adventurer and spends much of her free time camping, hiking, and paddle-boarding. But her greatest adventure began with an encounter with a Marine recruiter.
“I was working and going to a community college, but I had no idea what I wanted to do,” said Culp. “Originally, I figured I would just do four years with the Marine Corps. They would pay for school, and I would also get to travel. It seemed worthwhile, where I could make a difference and get something out of it too.”
Culp enlisted in April 2001. Two months before she left for boot camp, the 9/11 terror attacks brought the world to a halt and reshaped national security. Rumors of an impending war in the Middle East posed a daunting threat to new military recruits.
“At that point in the recruitment process, you could still change your mind,” Culp recalled. “My parents tried to talk me out of it, but I didn’t want to back out. So I started boot camp on Parris Island that November.”
During her 6.5-month tour in Iraq, Culp worked at Al-Asad Airbase, providing radio relay and air support for convoys traveling through Iraq on the ground. In 2012, she was awarded the Naval Aviation Observer Badge for flying during times of combat.
“Helping the convoys was one of the most rewarding parts of my job,” she said. “That was a pretty vulnerable situation they were in. I was able to watch over them, so they knew there was someone who would get them help.”
Over the years, Culp served in Japan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and the Marshall Islands, eventually achieving the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. Despite the strenuous training and dangers of combat, Culp says that the most challenging aspect of her military service was spending months at a time away from her husband and two children.
“The physical stuff, you just push through,” she said. “But being away from family — it’s tough having to do that for long periods of time. I would miss birthdays and school events. When I went to Iraq, my daughter wasn’t even 2 years old.”
In May 2021, when U.S. military forces withdrew from Afghanistan, Culp and her brothers in arms were ready and waiting to assist refugees fleeing the country. She participated in Operation Allies Welcome, a program through the Department of Homeland Security that provided housing for Afghan refugees on American soil.
“We had to drive the refugees from Philadelphia to Virginia, and I was able to be part of that team that did that,” Culp said. “We would process them through Philadelphia and then they’d go to Fort Barfoot and live on that base. I got to receive them and welcome them, so that was pretty cool.”
By December 2023, Culp was ready to settle down and focus on raising her family. Her husband, who is also a Marine, accepted a position at Fort Jackson, so their family moved to South Carolina.
“I wanted to change focus and find something I wanted to do,” said Culp, regarding her decision to retire from the USMC. “It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the Marine Corps, because I did. I just wanted something new.”
While scouring positions in state government, Culp came across an opening at the SC Department of Public Safety. The structure and camaraderie of the Highway Patrol, which she said is very similar to the Marines, appealed to her and she applied for a job as the administrative coordinator for the Area Coordinated Enforcement (ACE) Unit.
“I never wanted to be a cop, but I figured working with Highway Patrol would be somewhat similar to being in the military,” said Culp. “That’s what brought me here.”
Her first civilian job in more than two decades, Culp’s new schedule allows her to devote more time to her family and earning her degree in cybersecurity and networking.
With the Marine Corps birthday falling one day before Veterans Day, Culp said she often celebrates the two together.
“The Marine Corps birthday is a very big thing that we celebrate every year,” she said. “And for me, Veterans Day is a time to tell stories with people you work with and get together with others you haven’t seen in a while. It’s a time to connect with fellow veterans — people I know and people I don’t know.”
Though Culp is happy to settle down in civilian life, she is grateful for those who have served — and when people thank her for her service.
“It’s nice to know that something I did for so long is appreciated by people,” she said.
