MERIDIAN —     Woodbridge, Virginia wasn't big enough to hold Waynette Scott so she started looking outside her home area for a way to get an education, financial security and to see the world.

    With a long line of Marines on her dad's side of the family, Scott decided she would follow in their boot steps and at the same time break the mold.

    "I'm the first female Marine in our family," Scott said proudly. "I joined right out of high school in 2011 and I want to work toward becoming a military attorney."

    That would be JAG, or Judge Advocate General.

    In joining the Marines, Scott didn't think she'd go from Virginia to Mississippi. But then again, she thought she'd be knee deep in mud and Kevlar holding an automatic rifle. Thankfully, her service so far has been anything but being the grunt in the mud doing drills and sentry duty.

    "I'm an aviation operations specialist," Scott said. "That means I am in the operations part in charge of flight records."

    Scott came to Naval Air Station Meridian in June. She will ship out next month after her schooling cycle is completed here. She said she hopes Camp Pendleton, California is her next duty station. When asked why, she said she grew up on the east coast and wants to get on the west coast. But there is an ulterior motive. A mission within the mission.

    "OK," said Scott laughing. "My boyfriend is stationed there."

    He's a Marine also. Surprise.

    Must be tough, even for a couple of Marines, to keep a long distance relationship in ship-shape. Scott said not if there is a lot of trust between the two and plus with all the media and technology available, there is video, texting, emails and the old fashioned telephone call.

    Scott isn't sure if she will make the Marine Corps her career. She figures it will take anywhere from six to eight years to begin her dream of becoming a JAG officer. In the meantime, she will see the world and learn as much as she can about herself and the world in which she lives.

    "The military life isn't for everyone," Scott said. "You are in a different world altogether. It is intense and you have to have a lot of drive and focus. Plus you have to feel it is something you want deep in your heart. I'm proud to carry on this family tradition and I'm proud to serve my country."

    Scott admitted that during the graduation portion of boot camp when the men and women in her class were told they were now Marines, she cried.

    "I just didn't think I'd achieve that goal," Scott said. "When you are given the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, it really hits you. All the history. All those who have done so much for our country. You are a part of something much bigger than yourself."

    Her father, a retired Marine, was the first to hug her on the parade ground.

    It is the downtime Scott relishes. It is a time to be a normal person again. To read, and sleep — a lot.

    "I would recommend this to only those I felt could handle the commitment of being a Marine," Scott said.