| Micheal P. Barrett | |
|---|---|
Barrett as the 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps |
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| Nickname | Mike |
| Born | 1963 (age 48–49) |
| Allegiance | |
| Service/branch | |
| Years of service | 1981–present |
| Rank | |
| Commands held | Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Bronze Star (2) w/ valor device |
Micheal P. Barrett is the 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps succeeding Carlton W. Kent on June 9, 2011. As the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Barrett is the highest ranking noncommissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.
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Micheal P. Barrett was born in 1963 and raised in the Upstate New York town of Youngstown. He enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 17 on March 16, 1981, and underwent recruit training at Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
In November, he completed the School of Infantry at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. He was ordered to 1st Battalion 4th Marines in Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms for duty. He attended Ranger School, and served as a rifleman, grenadier, fireteam leader, squad leader, and platoon sergeant, meritoriously promoted up to the rank of sergeant. He met his wife Susan there, marrying her in August 1984, and then transferred the same month to serve as an Inspector-Instructor for 2nd Battalion 25th Marines at New Rochelle, New York. Outside of his primary duties as an infantry instructor, he was assigned numerous support duties to include; Armorer, Nuclear Biological Chemical noncommissioned officer, and Training Chief.
In September 1987, Barrett was assigned to 3rd Battalion 9th Marines at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and trained as a Scout Sniper to serve as a platoon sergeant for the unit's STA platoon. As a staff sergeant, he was deployed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for the Gulf War, earning a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a valor device for engaging enemy mortar positions with his Barrett M82 sniper rifle in early 1991.
He was assigned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego as a drill instructor in April 1992, and promoted to gunnery sergeant in 1994.
In January 1995, he was transferred to Marine Corps Base Quantico to serve as the chief instructor at the Scout Sniper Instructor School, and then as the senior enlisted advisor for the Marine Security Company at Camp David and liaison with the United States Secret Service in September 1996.
Promoted to first sergeant in 1998, Barrett was transferred to 3rd Battalion 4th Marines at Twentynine Palms, serving as the company first sergeant for Company I, Headquarters and Service Company, and Weapons Company.
He was then promoted to sergeant major in mid-2002, and sent to Recruiting Station Cleveland from July 2002 until May 2005.
He was transferred to and deployed to Iraq twice with 2nd Battalion 7th Marines in 2005 and 2007, earning a Bronze Star with valor device on each tour for leadership under fire.
From October 2007 to May 2009, he was stationed again in Quantico, at the Officer Candidates School.
He was then selected as the sergeant major of 1st Marine Division in June 2009, and deployed to Afghanistan as the I Marine Expeditionary Force/Regional Command Southwest sergeant major in March 2010.
On April 11, 2011, Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos announced that Barrett would serve as the 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.[1][2] He succeeded Carlton W. Kent on June 9, 2011, at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.[3]
Barrett has the following awards:[4]
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| Basic Parachutist Insignia | Presidential Service Badge | |||
| Legion of Merit | Bronze Star w/ 1 award star & valor device | |||
| Meritorious Service Medal w/ 1 award star | Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal w/ valor device & 3 award stars | Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal w/ 2 award stars | Combat Action Ribbon w/ 1 award star | |
| Joint Meritorious Unit Award w/ 1 oak leaf cluster | Navy Unit Commendation w/ 2 service stars | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ 1 service star | Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal w/ 9 service stars | |
| National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 service star | Southwest Asia Service Medal w/ 2 service stars | Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/ 1 service star | Iraq Campaign Medal w/ 2 service stars | |
| Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Korea Defense Service Medal | Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon w/ 8 service stars | Marine Corps Recruiting Ribbon | |
| Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon | NATO Medal for Service with ISAF | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) | |
Ranger Tab *The Ranger Tab is not authorized for wear on USMC uniforms.
He also holds expert marksmanship badges in rifle (5) and pistol (7),[4] and a 3rd degree black belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.[5]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Micheal Barrett |
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carlton W. Kent |
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps 2011– present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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