10/15/2025
Husband and Wife on the Path to Marine Law.
Portsmouth, N.H. – Donald and Cheyanne Reichard have already done something few Marines, and even fewer couples, ever achieve. The husband-and-wife team completed Officer Candidates School together this year and are now preparing for The Basic School while finishing law degrees at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law School.
Less than one percent of Americans serve in the Marine Corps, and even fewer serve as officers. Within that small community, Marine Corps judge advocates represent an especially tight circle. The Reichards now stand on the threshold of both.
While applying to law schools, the pair focused their efforts on the New England area due to the very high concentration of law schools. They were both accepted to the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.
In Fall 2023, Cheyanne moved to New Hampshire and completed her first two years of law school at UNH Franklin Pierce, and Donald joined her in early 2025 to start his journey alongside Cheyanne.
Over the summer of 2025, they both attended Officer Candidate School, Donald for the 10-week Platoon Leaders Course Combined, and Cheyanne for the six-week seniors’ course. This allowed them to complete OCS and be aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico at the same time. They graduated within weeks of each other and are now back in New Hampshire.
They both are continuing to work toward law degrees while preparing for The Basic School, the next step in their Marine Officer journey. TBS is where every newly commissioned Marine officer trains in the fundamentals of leadership and warfighting.
They will then attend the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island, where they learn the fundamental principles of military justice, civil and administrative law, and procedure. Afterward, they will be welcomed into one of the smallest, most tightly knit communities the Marine Corps has: judge advocates.
“It’s a hard road,” Donald said. “But it’s easier when the person you love most is on it with you.”
(U.S. Marine Corps Story by Staff Sgt. Erin A. Vandehoef)
