The Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps billet was created in 1965 in the United States Marine Corps held by a non-commissioned officer posted at Marine Barracks Washington. He is responsible for carrying the official Colors of The United States Marine Corps while leading "The Commandant's Four", members of which are part of the United States Marine Corps Color Guard Platoon. The post of Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps was first launched since January 1, 1965 and first held by Shelton L. Eakin, who was killed in action the following year during the Vietnam War.

Duties The Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps is considered the senior-most sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and serves as the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of "Parade Four", the U.S. Marine Corps' principal color guard. During state events, he is responsible for carrying the flag of the president of the United States. The Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps is also expected to serve as an example of correct appearance to all Marines.

Qualifications

The Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps is appointed by the commanding officer of Marine Barracks Washington and applicants from throughout the Marine Corps are considered. He must be a sergeant between 6-foot 2-inches and 6-foot 6-inches in height, meet Marine Corps weight standards, and be eligible for clearance to the Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information level. The appointment to Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps is for a two-year, non-renewable term.

List of Color Sergeants +No.ImageNameTerm startTerm end1st YearGunnery Sgt. Shelton L. EakinJanuary 1965December 19652ndStaff Sgt. J.D. CocoJanuary 1966August 19663rdSgt. L.C. PittmanSeptember 1966January 19674thSgt. R.E. BrothersFebruary 1967June 19675thSgt. M.T. KaneJuly 1967December 19676thSgt. W.J. MonahanJanuary 1968June 19687thSgt. J.C. McCordJuly 1968September 19688thCpl. E.W. WilliamsOctober 1968February 19699thCpl. C.A. KernMarch 1969June 196910thSgt. D.G. ThorpeJuly 1969December 196911thSgt. T.A. StrasbergJanuary 1970December 197012thSgt. Tim W. HughesJanuary 1971December 197213thSgt. J.E. BrownJanuary 1973December 197414thSgt. L.M. BaadeJanuary 1975September 197615thSgt. E.A. ChavezOctober 1976December 197816thSgt. J.W. WaltersJanuary 1979December 198017thSgt. M.J. WatkinsJanuary 1981December 198218thSgt. P.L. PeironelloJanuary 1983December 198319thSgt. J.E. CapuaJanuary 1984December 198520thSgt. T.H. McMahonJanuary 1986December 198721stSgt. D.R. BoydJanuary 1988September 198922ndSgt. Dean R. KeckOctober 1989April 199323rdSgt. Daniel J. CharlierApril 1993January 199524thSgt. Thomas W. RollinsonJanuary 1995June 199625thSgt. R.R. RobinsonJune 1996May 199726thSgt. Heath F. KuhlmannMay 1997August 199827thSgt. James D. ReedAugust 1998December 199928th (2000s)Sgt. Blake L. RichardsonJanuary 2000August 200129thSgt. Trevor H. JohnsonAugust 2001December 200330thSgt. Brian T. StricklandDecember 2003November 200531stSgt. Andrel C. RutherfordNovember 2005December 200632ndSgt. Scott A. JewelJanuary 2007August 200833rdSgt. Corey R. WünderlichAugust 2008December 200934th (2010s)Sgt. Eric A. HumorJanuary 2010October 201135thSgt. Timothy A. SprederNovember 2011September 201336th Sgt. Allen J. Banks Jr. October 2013 January 201637thSgt. Kenneth J. Newton February 2016 December 201738thSgt. Francis S. FrazierJanuary 2018December 201939th (COVID-19)Sgt. Franklin D. TaftJanuary 2020June 202140thSgt. Cameron L. WilliamsMay 2021June 202341stSgt. Steve A. SextonApril 2023April 202542ndSgt. Daniel Vazquez-ColonApril 2025October 202543rdSgt. Jean Pierre St. SurinOctober 2025present

See also Colour sergeant

References