Angela Salinas enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1974 and served as a legal clerk until 1977 when she was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program, and was commissioned a Marine Corps Second Lieutenant in December of that year. In June 1989, Major General Salinas assumed command of Recruiting Station Charleston and became the first woman in the Marine Corps to command a recruiting station. In June 1992, she became the first woman assigned as a combat service support ground monitor responsible for the assignments of over 1000 senior officers. She was the first female assigned as a plans and policy officer for a major combatant command in 1999, and in May 2001 when she assumed command of the 12th Marine Corps District, became the first woman to serve as a recruiting district commanding officer. She is the first woman to command the Marine Corps Recruit Depot/Western Recruiting Region in San Diego, California. She is currently serving as a United States Marine Corps Major General.