Military Appreciation Month occurs in May every year, during which Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day are also observed.
These days are dedicated to honoring all the brave men and women who have served throughout American history and their families and to remembering and appreciating those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
In 2016, Major General Lorna Mahlock was featured in a video for Women's History Month, sharing her perspective on the evolution of women in the Marine Corps.
"Over my 30 years in the Marine Corps, my experience in terms of how women have evolved has been very positive," she said in the video. "It's been a steady rise. I'm very, very hopeful."
A beacon of service, Mahlock has been leading as the Cyber National Mission Force Commander since January 2024.
Prior to this, she worked as the deputy director for Combat Support in the National Security Agency's Cybersecurity Directorate; the assistant deputy commandant for Information, the director of Command, Control Communications and Computers (C4), and the chief information officer (CIO) for the Marine Corps.
She is also a certified Federal Aviation Administration Tower local controller and a Marine Aviation weapons and tactics Instructor.
Mahlock has commanded and led at various levels and in combat, leaving a mark at the Air Traffic Control Detachment 1st Stinger Battery, Marine Corps Instructional Management School, G3 Future Operations 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Operation Southern Overwatch and Iraqi Freedom 01 and 02, Marine Air Command and Control Systems Experimental, Iraqi Freedom 08, Headquarters European Command, Marine Corps Office of Legislative Affairs, and as deputy director of operations, plans policy and operations, Headquarters U. S. Marine Corps.
She has earned master's degrees from the University of Oklahoma, the Naval War College, and the U.S. Army War College, as well as a Master's Certificate in Information Operations from the Naval Post Graduate School.
She is a United Kingdom Defense College Higher Command and Staff graduate with Executive Certificates from MIT and Harvard.
Mahlock has received several awards for her service, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Mahlock was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and migrated to Brooklyn, New York, where she enlisted in the Marine Corps. She was chosen for the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program, completed her education at Marquette University, and was commissioned in December 1991.
