COLONEL GILBERT D. JUAREZ

Commanding Officer

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

Colonel Juarez is a native of San Diego, California and began military service as a USMC Reservist in 1985. He received his active duty commission and graduated from The Basic School and Infantry Officer Course in 1995 and reported to 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, Twentynine Palms, California where he served as rifle platoon commander, Company Executive Officer, and 81mm Mortar Platoon Commander.

Colonel Juarez’s operational command assignments include:

-Company Commander, Company C, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion 3d Marines where he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) I and OIF II, and participated in Operation Opening Gambit, Task Force Tripoli, and Operation New Dawn (Al Fallujah) from May 2002 to May 2005.
-Commanding Officer, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, from July 2012 to June 2014.
-Commanding Officer, 3d Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division, from June 2019 to June 2021.

Colonel Juarez’s staff assignments include:
– Tactics Instructor, Platoon Commander, Company Executive Officer, and Special Staff Officer, Officer Candidates School, from 1998 to 2001.
– Deputy Warfighting Director, and Company Commander, Company E, The Basic School, from 2005 to 2007.
– Director, Infantry Officer Course, from 2007 to 2009.
– Northeast Asia Planner, Future Operations, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan from 2010 to 2012.
– Faculty Advisor, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, from 2015 to 2016.
– Deputy Director, Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting, from 2016 to 2017.
– Deputy Branch Head, Training & Exercise Branch, Operations and Plans Division, International Military Staff, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium from 2017 to 2019.

Colonel Juarez holds a B.A. in Physical Education from San Diego State University. He is a Wheeler Award Recipient, a distinguished graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School, and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College Non-resident. He has a Masters in Operational and Strategic Studies from the School of Advanced Warfighting and Marine Corps War College respectively and is a distinguished graduate of the Marine Corps War College.

Colonel Juarez’s personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with ‘V’ device, the Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Gold Stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Gold Star and ‘V’ device, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.