Major Sara Kirstein reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina for Marine Corps Recruit Training on November 10th, 1998. After earning the title of Marine, she reported for follow on training at Marine Combat Training, Camp Geiger, North Carolina and Military Police training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. In May of 1999, then Private First Class Kirstein (née Schroeder) entered the Selected Marine Corps Reserves. She joined MP Company Charlie, 4th Force Service Support Group, Dayton, OH. While attending Nyack College in Nyack, NY, Corporal Kirstein served with Marine Wing Support Squadron 472 and was part of the largest single reserve unit deployment in SMCR history when they joined Operation Iraqi Freedom 2-2 in 2004-2005 at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq during which she was promoted to Sergeant, meritoriously. Upon returning, she moved over to Marine Air Group 49 and completed her degree in Philosophy, and then attended OCS, TBS, and Adjutant’s Course in 2007-2008. Second Lieutenant Kirstein’s first assignment as an active duty officer was Marine Air Control Group 18. In July 2011, she reported as a Manpower Systems Analyst student at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Upon graduation, Captain Kirstein was assigned to MMOA-5, later MMIB-1 and MMIB-3, at Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Headquarters, Marine Corps.
Returning to the fleet, Captain Kirstein became the G-1 Operations Officer for Marine Forces Pacific, executing 27 international planning events throughout the Pacific region, and many more locally. Due to a desire to return to Okinawa, Major Kirstein requested and received orders to Marine Corps Installations Pacific, where she served as the Staff Secretary, G-1 Operations Officer, OIC of Task Force PCS, and most recently the Executive Officer of Headquarters and Support Battalion. In summer 2022, she will execute orders to be the Future Operations Officer for Talent Management at M&RA, HQMC.