Historic Change Of Command

Jet, March 1, 1999

U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Walter E. Gaskin Sr. takes command of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in a ceremony at Camp Lejeune, NC. In his new post, Gaskin becomes the first Black to command the 2,200 Marines and Sailors that comprise the MEU. A MEU is employed to fulfill routine forward deployments with the Naval fleets in the Mediterranean, the Western Pacific, and periodically, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Col. Gaskin, a Savannah, GA, native, is a Marine with 28 years of experience. His rise to MEU command has included commands at the platoon, company and battalion level.