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Marines


III MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
III MEF Logo
FORWARD. FAITHFUL. FOCUSED.

Leaders

Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force

Lieutenant General Roger B. Turner

Lieutenant General Roger Turner assumed command of III Marine Expeditionary Force on 26 January 2024. ...

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Deputy Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force

Brigadier General Trevor Hall

Brigadier General Hall currently serves as the Deputy Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force and as the Commanding General, 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Okinawa, Japan....

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Sergeant Major, III Marine Expeditionary Force

Sergeant Major Joy M. Kitashima

Originally from Bloomington, Indiana, Sergeant Major Kitashima enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 1996. Following initial training, she was assigned the military occupational specialty of 5811 and reported to Military Police School in Fort McClellan, Alabama....

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Command Master Chief, III Marine Expeditionary Force

CMDCM (FMF/SW/AW/IW) Donald O. Leppert

Master Chief Leppert, a native of Binghamton, New York, grew up in Newport, North Carolina, enlisted in the United States Navy in September 1989....

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Sergeant Major, 3d Radio Battalion
Sergeant Major Matthew A. Kidder

Sergeant Major Matthew A. Kidder is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He entered the delayed entry program on March 12, 2001, and began recruit training on September 17, 2001. Upon graduation, he began Marine Combat Training (MCT) at Camp Geiger, NC. After completion of MCT he attended Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri earning him the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 5811 Military Police.

Upon completion of his MOS school, he was transferred to 1st MAW, MWSG-17, Okinawa, Japan. While in Japan Sergeant Major Kidder was sent on various deployments to include Korea and the Philippines. In March of 2004 he received orders to Security Battalion, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, serving as a Patrol Supervisor, Emergency Dispatcher, and Desk Sergeant.

In October of 2005, Sergeant Major Kidder received orders to Marine Corps Embassy Security Group. To begin training to become a Marine Security Guard (MSG), on December 07, 2005 he graduated from Marine Security Guard School with class 1-06. On 29 December 2005 Sergeant Major Kidder arrived at his first detachment, American Embassy Bogotá, Colombia. In December 2006 Sergeant Major Kidder joined his second detachment, American Embassy Warsaw, Poland serving as the Assistant Detachment Commander. In December 2007 Sergeant Major Kidder was selected to return to MSG School to serve as an Assistant Instructor and as the Assistant School Operations Chief.

Upon completion of a successful tour on MSG duty, Sergeant Major Kidder received orders to 1st Marine Division, Headquarters Battalion, Military Police Company. In November of 2009, Sergeant Major Kidder deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During this deployment he held the billet of Police Mentor Team Commander. Upon returning from deployment Sergeant Major Kidder served as a Platoon Commander and later as the Company Gunnery Sergeant.

In January of 2011, Sergeant Major Kidder was transferred to HMX-1, Quantico, Virginia. Serving as Platoon Commander and as the SNCOIC of Security Administration before assuming duties as the Security Chief of the Anacostia Air Facility. In July of 2014 Sergeant Major Kidder returned to MSG School graduating with class 4-14 and was assigned as the Detachment Commander for Detachment Tunis, Tunisia. In December 2015 Sergeant Major Kidder was again selected to return to MSG School to serve as an Instructor Advisor. In March 2017 Sergeant Major Kidder transferred to 1st Battalion, 3d Marines, serving as the Company First Sergeant for Weapons Company. In December 2019 Sergeant Major Kidder transferred to Combat Logistics Regiment 1, serving as the Company First Sergeant for Headquarters Company. In December 2022 Sergeant Major Kidder transferred to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Sergeant Major Kidder is currently serving as the Sergeant Major for 3d Radio Battalion.

Sergeant Major Kidder's personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (1 silver star in lieu of sixth award), Navy and Marine Achievement Medal (1 gold star in lieu of second award) and the Combat Action Ribbon.

III Marine Expeditionary Force