At Two Marines Moving, we don't look down on so-called "soft" billets. We look for skills that transfer.

Because service is not defined solely by what happens in the field. Service is also measured by how people perform when responsibility, logistics, public trust, leadership, and execution intersect.

One of the earliest places founder Nicholas Edmond Baucom learned those lessons was through Toys for Tots. Looking back, many of those experiences had more in common with running a moving company than anyone could have predicted at the time.

A "Model Marine" Assignment With Real Responsibility

As a Marine Reservist, Baucom volunteered most Decembers to support Toys for Tots through his reserve unit. On the surface, some of that work looked easy. And compared to infantry field training, it often was.

No long movements. No fighting positions. No sleeping in the dirt. No carrying heavy combat loads through the woods. In many ways, it was easy peasy.

But beneath the surface was real responsibility. Depending on the year and assignment, that experience included:

• Taking photographs with families while wearing Dress Blues
• Representing the Marine Corps publicly
• Supporting events at Walmart, Target, Toys "R" Us, and other locations
• Manning donation tables
• Interacting with families and community members
• Serving as a visible representative of the Marine Corps

The Part Most People Never See

Most people picture Toys for Tots as Marines collecting toys at a donation table. What they don't see is the logistics operation behind it.

Every year, reserve units across America create temporary warehouse operations to receive, organize, store, and distribute thousands of donated toys. Baucom worked those operations too.

That experience included:

• Sorting toys and staging inventory
• Managing palletized loads
• Supporting warehouse flow
• Operating forklifts
• Assisting with distribution operations

Trucks, Routes, and Dispatch

In some years, the mission expanded beyond the warehouse. As a Lance Corporal, Baucom received assignments from a Sergeant and was tasked with driving rented box trucks around the city to retrieve donations from businesses and community partners.

The mission was simple:

• Receive tasking
• Drive the truck
• Pick up donated toys
• Return the load to the warehouse
• Repeat

Years later, the irony became obvious. At the time, he was the Lance Corporal receiving dispatches. Later, he became the Sergeant issuing them. Same mission. Different seat.

Looking Back, The Pattern Is Obvious

Many of the skills developed through Toys for Tots reappeared years later while building and operating Two Marines Moving. The overlap is difficult to ignore. Toys for Tots taught:

• Public-facing professionalism
• Warehouse operations and forklift operation
• Vehicle utilization and route planning
• Dispatch and inventory management
• Accountability for entrusted property
• Seasonal surge logistics

Why This Transfers Directly to Two Marines Moving

Today, the mission looks different. The fundamentals do not. At Two Marines Moving, our teams:

• Represent the company in public
• Enter clients' homes as trusted professionals
• Operate warehouses and storage facilities
• Drive box trucks and manage loads
• Execute pickups and deliveries
• Dispatch trucks and crews
• Scale operations during peak seasons

Reservists Understand This Better Than Most

Many civilians do not fully appreciate how the Reserve and National Guard components work. Reservists certainly do. Marine Reservists know it. Army Reservists know it. Navy Reservists know it. Air Force Reservists know it. Army and Air National Guard members know it.

Everyone appreciates a drill weekend. Everyone appreciates service. But a drill weekend does not make a month's pay. Most reservists balance military service with civilian careers, education, families, and additional responsibilities.

That reality creates people who become very good at managing multiple obligations at once. It also creates people who often bring valuable civilian skills back into military service and military skills back into civilian careers. Toys for Tots was one example of that overlap. Two Marines Moving is another.

Why We Value This Background

Over the years, Two Marines Moving has employed large numbers of Reservists, National Guard members, veterans, and service-minded professionals. Many arrive with experience that looks remarkably similar:

• Public-facing assignments and volunteer leadership roles
• Temporary logistics operations and seasonal surge environments
• Warehouse and transportation experience
• Resource management responsibilities

They already understand:

• Showing up as a representative, not just a worker
• Operating under supervision and accountability
• Receiving and giving tasking professionally
• Executing logistics without chaos
• Maintaining standards while serving the public

That often shortens the learning curve dramatically.

Founder Experience That Can't Be Replicated

This isn't branding language. It's lived experience.

• Dress Blues at donation tables.
• Forklift work in cold warehouses.
• Driving rented box trucks across the city.
• Receiving dispatches. Giving dispatches.
• Managing seasonal logistics surges.
• Representing the Marine Corps in public.
• Serving the community.

Looking back, many of those experiences helped shape how Nicholas Baucom leads and how Two Marines Moving operates today. The work looked different. The principles were the same.

The Invitation

If you're a Reservist, Guardsman, veteran, or service-minded professional and you've ever:

• Volunteered for public-facing missions
• Worked warehouse or logistics operations
• Driven box trucks or managed routes and deliveries
• Operated in seasonal surge environments
• Balanced service with civilian work

Then Two Marines Moving may be a strong fit. We recognize those skills because they're part of our foundation.