MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- In the farm lands of Gordon, Texas, there is a family that has dedicated their life to the rodeo. They spend much of their time preparing for events like bull riding, team roping, and breakaway roping to compete around the nation. Kealey Dent grew up in this family. She trained with her family and put her best foot forward in all she did. When she graduated high school, she was the valedictorian, received an associate degree in liberal arts, played on the Junior USA Volleyball Team, and was one of the top three liberos in the nation for two years.
However, growing up in a family with a competitive lifestyle meant she faced criticism and high standards all of her life. This mindset made Dent feel like she could never be good enough. After high school, she was accepted to Texas A&M University and prepared for her new life as a college student, but a few weeks before moving into her college dorm, the phone rang.
“I got a call from a Marine Corps recruiter; something told me it was right,” Dent said. “It was the only choice that would put me in complete control of my life.”
Although she received a lot of negative feedback from her hometown community, she changed her plans of being a college student to becoming a U.S. Marine. Dent left her hometown and graduated boot camp as the honor graduate, meritoriously earning the rank of lance corporal. She also completed her military occupational specialty school as the honor graduate. Despite being the top of her basic training company and her MOS class, Dent still faced negativity.
“A lot of people believed I didn’t deserve it. Any of it,” Dent said. “Frankly, I started to believe them, and I went through a period of a lot of self-hate.”
On April 8, 2021, Dent weighed 170 pounds - 30 pounds more than her usual weight of 140. In an attempt to combat her weight gain, she starved herself and, as a result developed, an eating disorder. Her perception of herself declined. Her mental and physical health started to deteriorate.
“I became a shell of who I was,” Dent said. “I wasn’t happy or engaged; I was just present.”
When she got to her first unit, Marine Aircraft Group 12, she was assigned to be an aviation intelligence analyst. While learning more about her unit, she met people who were into health and fitness. One of them being the current S-2 staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge, Gunnery Sgt. Robert Sanders, who is a regular at the gym and motivates others to reach their fitness goals.
“Everyone idolized who he was in the gym.” Dent said. “I looked at myself and said ‘if I am going to lose weight, I need to do it in a healthy way. I want to be someone people can look up to.’”
With the help of Sanders and her friends, Dent began weight lifting and started getting rid of bad influences in her life. She stopped allowing negative interpersonal relationships to affect her, and she now eats healthier and spends time with those friends who help her live a more positive lifestyle. In the span of one year, Dent’s mental and physical health improved. Now, she challenges herself by competing in weight lifting competitions hosted by the IronWorks gym at MCAS Iwakuni. Professionally, Dent is a corporal who not only supports MAG-12 as a senior analyst, but also helps Marines and Sailors as the Single Marine Program president and as the MAG-12 noncommissioned officer association vice president.
“When it comes to Cpl. Dent, the characteristics that come to mind are resolute, motivated, and resilient,” Sanders said. “Through her work ethic, gym personal records, and commitment to community involvement, Cpl. Dent has continued to seek ways to improve herself spiritually, mentally, and physically.”
Dent consistently reflects and works on ways she can better herself. Each day she develops her skills to give people someone they can look up to, and to make herself and her supporters proud. She continues to diet, build strength and develop her physique, and has aspirations to compete in a body-building competition.
“I’m proud of myself for how strong I’ve become. I am making progress but the journey isn’t over yet. Still, I somewhat feel the same way about myself and from time to time, I remediate back to my old tendencies, but every day, I wake up and keep trying,” Dent said.