The commander of an infantry battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was fired in June, Marine Corps Times has learned.
He is one of five North Carolina-based Marine commanders fired this year.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Brown was relieved of his duties as commander of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines on June 14, II MEF spokesman Lt. Col. Michael Armistead confirmed on Friday.
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Col. Daniel Greenwood, then commander of the 2nd Marine Regiment fired Brown because he was no longer confident in Brown’s ability to lead the battalion, Armistead said in an email. No further information on what led Greenwood to relieve Brown was available on Friday.
Brown is not under investigation and has been reassigned within II MEF, Armistead said.
The Marine Corps did not publicly announce Brown’s firing at the time because it was not due to any misconduct nor was it the result of an investigation, Armistead explained.
Lt. Col. Scott Stephan has assumed command of the battalion. Stephan had previously been assigned to 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
This marks the second time in 2017 that a Marine commander has been quietly dismissed. One June 6, Col. Daniel O’Hora was fired as commander of Marine Corps Engineer School at Camp Lejeune. The Marine Corps did not initially announce his firing until Marine Corps Times asked about it six days later.
Three other Marine commanders from North Carolina bases have been relieved of command this year: Lt. Col. Shawn Grzybowski was relieved of command Thursday as commander of Combat Logistics Battalion 8 at Camp Lejeune; Lt. Col. Taylor White was fired on July 20 as commander of Marine Wing Support Squadron 274 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point; and Lt. Col. Jennifer Grieves was relieved of duty on June 7 as commander of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 at Marine Corps Air Station New River.
