HURRICANE POINT, AR RAMADI, Iraq -- A Marine with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, once relied on his good looks to bring home the bacon. Now he serves it.
Eighteen-year-old PFC Darius D. Gage was a male model for Essence Magazine for four years in his hometown of Chicago prior to joining the Corps.
"I modeled from the age twelve to sixteen," said the tall, dark Marine as he served a hungry devil dog scrambled eggs during morning chow in the mess hall here. "I liked doing it. It was interesting at the time, and I made good money. Plus, it kept me out of trouble."
Essence Magazine scouts discovered Gage when they visited his school. He was in eighth grade at the time.
"I was just walking down the hall and the scouts saw me and pulled me over to their booth they had set up," the food service specialist remembered. "They asked me if I was interested in modeling for them, and I said I was. I wanted to try something new."
Gage modeled Sean John, FUBU and other brands of hip hop style clothing. He often made more than $500 per week for working no more than 24 hours.
"The money was good," he said. "I used it to get my drivers license, buy a car and pay for my own clothes. I also saved some of it."
Gage remains humble despite his early fame and fortune in the modeling business.
"He has got a great attitude," said Cpl Oscar E. Secaida, a fellow food service specialist with H&S Company. "He is determined and goes for what he wants."
A few of Gage's fellow Marines made jokes when they learned of his modeling career.
"We were at the armory back at (Camp Pendleton) getting our weapons before deploying here when a lot of Marines found out," the 21-year-old Houston native remembered. "One of the guys cracked a joke about it. It didn't bother Gage, though. He just smiled and laughed with us all."
Modeling was Gage's way to escape gang-related activity growing up. He lived with his mother, Brenda, and younger brother, Bennie, in a two bedroom flat in the west side of Chicago.
According to Gage, gang violence was rampant in the area.
"Lots of shooting and fights go on there," he said. "Modeling helped me stay away from it. It kept me safe, and my mom was happy for that."
It was in his senior year at Harlem High School that Gage decided to trade the makeup and fancy clothes for camouflage paint and digital.
"The Marine recruiter visited my school and showed me that I could do more with my life in the Marines, so I decided to join," said the 2004 graduate.
Gage attended Marine Corps Recruit Training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego that summer.
"I like being in the Marines, because I know I'm a part of something that's making a difference," he said.
Gage, who's also a licensed barber, plans to leave the Corps after his four-year enlistment to pursue a higher education by attending Malcolm X College in Chicago.
"My goal is to get a business degree and someday own and operate my own barber shop."