Ronald L. Green

History

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is selected by the Commandant of the Marine Corps to serve as his advisor and as the preeminent and highest ranking enlisted Marine with a protocol equivalency of a three-star general officer.

The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps typically serves a four-year term, though his service is at the discretion of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

'Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps' is the full wording of the rank, but the verbal address is Sergeant Major.

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Although not officially considered a Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Archibald Sommers was appointed to the grade of Sergeant Major on January 1, 1801. It was a solitary post, similar to the modern billet of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.

In 1833, an act of legislation made the rank of sergeant major permanent for the Marine Corps. By 1899, five Marines held the rank of sergeant major. The rank was abolished in 1946 and re-introduced in 1954 as part of the Marine Corps rank structure.

The post of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was established in 1957 as the senior enlisted advisor to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. It was the first such post in any of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces. The first official Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was Sergeant Major Wilbur Bestwick.

In 1970, the distinctive rank insignia of the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was authorized. It features the Eagle, Globe and Anchor flanked by two five-point stars, as opposed to the standard Sergeant Major rank insignia, which has a single five-point star in the center.

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Previous Sergeants Major of the Marine Corps

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18th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

Ronald L. Green

Sergeant Major Ronald L. Green is from Jackson, Miss. He attended recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in November 1983. Upon graduation, he was meritoriously promoted to private first class.

Private First Class Green reported to Hotel Battery, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, Calif., in March 1984, for duty as a field artillery cannoneer. He was also meritoriously promoted to lance corporal in September 1984.

Lance Corporal Green moved to Okinawa, Japan, in November 1985 and was assigned to Delta Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. He was meritoriously promoted to corporal in March 1985 and sergeant in August 1986. He also attended Nuclear Field Artillery School in October 1987 and earned the additional military occupational specialty of Field Artillery Nuclear Projectileman.

In May 1988, Sergeant Green reported to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton to serve as the tower operator for Southern Impact Area Control, also known as Long Rifle.

Sergeant Green reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in April 1990 where he served as a drill instructor, senior drill instructor and drill master. In July 1992, while on the drill field, he was meritoriously promoted to staff sergeant.

In September 1992, Staff Sergeant Green reported to Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, for duty as a section chief. He deployed to Somalia with Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), during Operation Restore Hope in 1993. Upon his return, he transferred to Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, as the battery gunnery sergeant.

From July 1995 to August 1998, Staff Sergeant Green served as the assistant marine officer instructor at Southern University and A&M College located in Baton Rouge, La. During this period, he was promoted to the rank of gunnery sergeant (January 1997).

Gunnery Sergeant Green assumed the duties as the battery gunnery sergeant for Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, in October 1998. He was promoted to first sergeant in December 2000.

First Sergeant Green reported to Bossier City, La., for Inspector-Instructor Duty with B Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, in April 2001. During this tour, he deployed to South America in support of Operation United Americas (UNITAS) for seven months.

He was promoted to sergeant major in April 2005 and reported to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton. They conducted a seven month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006. In February 2007, Sergeant Major Green transferred to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 39.

He assumed the duties of the Sergeant Major of Headquarters Battalion, Headquarters Marine Corps, Henderson Hall, Arlington, Va., in June 2008.

Sergeant Major Green took the post of Sergeant Major for Marine Corps Forces Europe/Marine Corps Forces Africa, Stuttgart, Germany, in August 2010, where he supported numerous theater security cooperation and noncommissioned officer development efforts with partner nations.

In June 2012, he returned to Camp Pendleton where he served as the I Marine Expeditionary Force Sergeant Major. Sergeant Major Green was selected by the 36^th Commandant of the Marine Corps General Joseph F. Dunford to be the 18th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps on January 20, 2015.

Assuming his post on February 20, 2015, Sergeant Major Green was the longest serving Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps serving four years and five months. Sergeant Green served under the 36^th Commandant of the Marine Corps General Joseph F. Dunford, the 37^th Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert B. Neller, and briefly under the 38^th Commandant of the Marine Corps General David H. Berger. He served in this position until 26 July 2019.

His personal awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with gold star, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with four gold stars, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two gold stars.