The Cottons: New in Town and Hitting the Ground Running!

Photo Credit: Karen Presecan Photography

Corraine Cotton is a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps currently stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico as an aviation maintenance data specialist task analyst. Her husband, Michael, is a Marine Corps veteran, and they have twin daughters, Sascha and Leila, both 14. 

Corraine and Mike met when they were both stationed in Okinawa, Japan. They worked close to each other, and Mike would often come to her building to see her. He essentially, smooth-talked his way to her heart. 

Now they have been married for 13 years and stationed all over the world. Michael was born in Houston, Texas and Corraine was born in Germany. Corraine has been stationed all over the world. Her duty stations include Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Jacksonville, North Carolina, Orlando, Florida, Iwakuni, Japan, a deployment to Afghanistan and now Quantico.

They now live in Embrey Mill where they have lived for the past 9 months. Though they are new to the neighborhood they have quickly assimilated to the incredible amenities. Corraine says that “having a Publix close by” pretty much closed the deal on their home. 

The Cotton family loves the beautifully constructed area and loves the wholesomeness of the neighborhood. They love all the walking paths and how at any time of the day they can see their neighbors walking by and enjoying the scenery. Corraine is part of the neighborhood Facebook page, and it shows how cohesive and supportive the neighbors are with each other.

The Cotton sisters, Sascha and Leila, born in Jacksonville, North Carolina are now rising sophomores at North Stafford High School. Both are honor roll students, and their parents are so proud of their accomplishments. They are both heavily involved in sports. Both girls had been in gymnastics classes since age 3. Leila has continued her journey in gymnastics and is currently a level 7 JO gymnast. Sascha began playing volleyball for her high school in addition to her travel volleyball team with 540 Volleyball. Sascha is also part of the track team and runs the long jump, 200-meter run, 100-meter dash, 400-meter run, and 400 by 4 run. 

Both girls are proud of their parents’ service. With mom still serving, the family is constantly adapting to changes in their roles and responsibilities to support her career. Sometimes, her absence due to training and deployments causes challenges for the family. However, they know it's temporary and they adapt and overcome it. The girls did get to experience some once-in-a-lifetime moments. They were able to promote their mother to her next rank. They have met President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. They got to visit multiple flightlines and see military planes up close and personal. 

Michael is a Master Barber and has been in business ever since he left the Marine Corps in 2009. He has been cutting hair for what seems like his whole life, so it was a natural progression for him. You can find him at Up North Kutz located at 1630 Publix Way. 

When Corraine is not at her daughters’ games and meets, she is working towards her bachelor’s degree in business marketing at Saint Leo University. Her plan after retirement is to further her education in law. She would like to be a lawyer once she is done with her service in the Marine Corps. 

Mentorship is one of Corraine’s favorite parts of being a Marine. She loves having the opportunity to help shape and mold the future of the next generation through her leadership. She appreciates the opportunity for personal growth and development. The Marine Corps has given Corraine the ability to work in different capacities and network with outside agencies. Corraine has held leadership positions since she was a junior Marine. She has meritorious promotions under her belt and her personal awards include one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. 

For fun, the Cottons love to watch Netflix shows to decompress themselves from their busy schedules. Corraine loves working out, her favorite workout modality being CrossFit. She also loves to cook, just not every day. 

Travel is something that the Cotton’s love to do. Thanks to Sascha’s travel volleyball club, they take advantage of exploring the different cities they visit. They love taking trips to places and exploring whenever they can. 

While they were stationed in Japan, they took a family trip to South Korea where they explored the popular cities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they traveled to cities within Japan as rules permitted. After returning from overseas, they took a cross-country road trip and explored the tourist places on the West Coast. 

They plan on filling their summer with some travel adventures. 

With Corraine’s active-duty schedule, college classes, and mom life it’s a little challenging to meet new neighbors. So, if you see the Cottons, don’t be shy, come, and say hi!