Maya Marshall (b. 1986), of Charlotte, North Carolina, served in the United States Army from 2010-2015. From June 2012 to March 2013 she was deployed to Camp Dwywer, Afghanistan. Maya Marshall was born 14 February 1986 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Due to her mother's career as a chaplain the United States Navy, Marshall's childhood was spent at various military bases, including Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Virginia, before her family settled in Fort Bragg, N.C. She graduated from Pine Forest High School in Fayetteville, N.C. in 2004 and began attending North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro that fall, but after a year she decided to take a break from school and took a job at an American Express call center.

Over the next few years, as Marshall saw her friends graduating from college and going on to graduate schools, she realized there was a difference between what she wanted to do in life and what she needed to do, so in 2010, she decided to join the United States Army, and enlisted for three years. In November 2010, Marshall was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for basic training. She was then sent to Fort Lee, Virginia, for Advanced Individual Training (AIT) in her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), 88N, or Transportation Management Coordinator. In May 2011, after graduating from AIT, Marshall was assigned to her first duty station at Fort Eustis, Virginia. While there, Marshall participated in field training, ruck marches, and qualifying with weapons on the gun range.

When she was not training, she volunteered with the base's Family Readiness Group, organizing community events, such as movies and bowling, for the soldiers and their families. After about a year, Marshall felt her job was monotonous, so she volunteered for overseas deployment knowing that it would provide extra compensation and help with future promotions. In June 2012, she deployed to Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, where she tracked cargo coming on and off the base. In March 2013, Marshall returned to Camp Eustis, and was eventually promoted to Sergeant, E-5.

When it came time for Marshall to re-enlist, her original MOS wasn't available as it required a security clearance that she did not have, so she was forced to reclassify. Marshall then spent March 2014 to May 2014 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, retraining as a 12N, or Horizontal Construction Engineer. In July 2014, Marshall was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, and for the first six months, she spent three weeks out of each month participating in field training. While at Fort Hood, Marshall encountered male soldiers who used inappropriate remarks regarding females and who treated her as if she had not earned her rank, ultimately leading Marshall to leave the U.S. Army in April 2015, before the end of her contract.