QUANTICO, Va. —
Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Zachary Bowman, a native of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, had what most would consider a successful life. After graduating from Winthrop University, he relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he began a career in real estate. Though his new job was everything he had worked for in college, he was left feeling unfulfilled.
Bowman missed being part of a team. “I had always been on a team sport and part of a team atmosphere, but I didn't have much of that anymore,” he said.
In 2017, Bowman found what he was looking for inside a CrossFit gym.
“One coach there was a prior-service Marine,” he said. “There was a picture of him and all his buddies from the Marine Corps on the wall. I saw it every day when I would come in. That's when I realized the Marine Corps is something I would like to do.”
Bowman's mind was set, but he had an obstacle to overcome: his weight. By Marine Corps standards, Bowman was 35 pounds overweight, and he scored low on his initial physical fitness test. He began his training with Marine Corps Maj. Trey B. Kennedy with the Officer Selection Station in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he applied to become a part of the Platoon Leaders Class program.
“When I first met Candidate Bowman, he was far from meeting the Marine Corps' standard,” Kennedy said. “His…
