George Papastrat

Staff Sergeant George Papastrat, (Ret.) is seeking a third term as President,
USMCCCA.

George Papastrat was born on December 30, 1983, in Sidney, N.Y. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in February 2005 and completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in June 2005. He continued his training at Marine Combat Training at Marine Corps Base Camp Geiger, N.C., followed by the Public Affairs Specialist Course at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Md.

After graduating from DINFOS, George began his public affairs career writing for the Flight Jacket, the base newspaper for Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. His talent for journalism and photography quickly led to his appointment as the paper’s editor in 2007. In 2008, he deployed to Iraq with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, returning in January 2009. During his time at MCAS Miramar, George wrote more than 200 news stories published across more than 52 publications.

In May 2009, George moved to Chicago to serve as the marketing and public affairs representative for Marine Corps Recruiting Station Chicago, acting as the station’s media liaison and community relations manager. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2010 and immediately began a Master of Business Administration program. His work regarding inter-organizational social media policy and marketing influenced practices still in use today. George was MPA of the year for 2011/2012 for 9th District. The practices learned from MPA duty transitioned into the future recruiting efforts done by George.

In 2010, George transitioned to serve as a Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence (CI/HUMINT) Specialist. He joined the 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune, N.C. in May 2012. He deployed to Forward Operating Base Delaram in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and was later assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Throughout his service as a HUMINT specialist, his efforts ensured the safety and security of more than 5,000 Marines across 10 countries without incident. Following being injured on a deployment, George led the recruiting efforts for the CI/HUMINT community. This led to meeting or exceeding the recruitment efforts for a high demand/ low density MOS. He was medically retired in 2017 due to combat related injuries.

Today, George recently sold Tideline Marine in Jacksonville, N.C. He actively participates in the Military Affairs Committee of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and the Veteran Business Collective, and serves as a founding member, former commander, and current adjutant of American Legion Post 556. He continues to develop community relations programs within veterans organizations and remains engaged with the public affairs and military intelligence communities. George’s personal awards include the Navy Commendation Medal, five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and three Good Conduct Medals.

For the past two years, George has led the United States Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association (USMCCCA) as its president. Under his leadership, the association has consistently increased membership, expanded awareness, increased banquet attendance, and raised key donations.

Looking forward, George would like to serve one additional year as president to complete current initiatives, host the Association’s best banquet yet and continue to increase USMCCCA membership. An additional initiative George would like to create and implement is the Major Megan McClung scholarship. McClung was the first female USMC officer killed in combat during the Iraq War and the first female graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to be killed in action. McClung was serving as a public affairs officer in Al Anbar Province, Iraq when killed.

George is married to Elyse Helene Dworak of Stillwater, New York. They have two daughters, Anastacia (14) and Eleni (12).