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22 MEU Sails For Points East, VMI In The Lead
By Lt Col P
22nd Marine Expeditionary Force sailed yesterday from its base at Camp Lejeune, NC. Its destination has not been made public, but one might hazard a guess.
With the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan taking up the lion's share of the Marine Corps's resources, the MEUs have not gotten the attention they previously enjoyed. Nevertheless, they have still deployed from both coasts and Okinawa, sometimes going straight to Iraq or Afghanistan, other times providing the same forward presence as before and engaging in a round of foreign exercises for ever-important theater security cooperation. A MEU is an extraordinarily flexible and powerful organization, and a potent threat to our enemies.
When the current campaigns wind down, the MEU SOC deployments will re-emerge. The requirement for them never diminishes.
AND I AM PLEASED TO RELATE THIS-- 22 MEU's ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, is commanded by my Brother Rat and good friend, LtCol Matt StClair. A 300-PFT'ing, joint-schooled, no-nonsense fighting man with an exceptional resume. Note that he too is a History Major!
Lieutenant Colonel St. Clair was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 1989 with a BA in History. He completed The Basic School in December 1989 and was designated an infantry officer. After graduating from the Infantry Officer Course he was assigned to 2d Battalion, 8th Marines (2/8), 2d Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, NC.
He served as a rifle platoon and weapons platoon commander Company G, 2/8 deploying to the Mediterranean Sea in 1991 with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) participating in Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq. He was then assigned as the battalion adjutant and later the executive officer for Company F, 2/8 completing a Unit Deployment Program (UDP) to Okinawa, Japan in 1992.
Lieutenant Colonel St. Clair left 2/8 in 1993 and was assigned to the School of Infantry (SOI), East where he served as the Commander, Company B, Infantry Training Battalion and as the SOI operations officer. He left SOI in 1995 and attended the Armor Officer Advanced Course at Ft. Knox, KY and was then assigned as the Commander, Company D, 2d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (LAR), 2d Marine Division.
Upon completion of his tour with 2d LAR, Lieutenant Colonel St. Clair was assigned as the assistant operations officer for the 22D Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in 1997. He deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in 1998 and participated in contingency operations in Tirane, Albania in support of the American Embassy.
After completing his tour with the 22D MEU, he was assigned to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC in 1999 where he served as the battalion executive officer, 2D Recruit Training Battalion and the Director, Drill Instructor School. While at Parris Island, he was selected to attend the Air University’s School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS) at Maxwell, Air Force Base earning a MA in Airpower Art and Science. Upon completion of SAASS in July of 2003 he was reassigned to the G-3 section, 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti-Terrorism), Camp Lejeune, NC as the future operations officer.
In 2004 he deployed as the 4th MEB (AT) Task Force Commander, Marine Security Force-Kabul, U.S. Embassy, Kabul, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Upon his return from Afghanistan, he was assigned as the 4th MEB (AT) current operations officer.
Lieutenant Colonel St. Clair was then assigned as the Officer in Charge (OIC) of an Advisor Support Team (AST) and deployed to Iraq in 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). He served as the senior infantry battalion advisor to the 8th Battalion, 2d Brigade, Iraqi Intervention Force (IIF) in Fallujah and with the 2d Battalion, 1st Brigade, IIF in Southern Baghdad.
Upon re-deployment from Iraq, he resumed his duties as the current operations officer for the 4th MEB (AT) and in June of 2006, he was assigned to the G-3 plans section of the 2d Marine Division.
His personal decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with gold star, and the Combat Action Ribbon.
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Comments
also, why don't Marines ever smile in their command photos?
WE ALREADY KNOW THAT YOU'RE BADASSES, GUYS.
Show me some teef.
John, I can't even get mine to give a decent smile in a wedding photo, much as I love him. Don't hold your breath on seeing many Marine toofers. ;)
Why don't Marines smile?
Take a look at the goofball factor in Navy CO pics and you see why...
Yea Marines smile. Usually after the impact of a well placed round or bomb.
All it takes is motivation.
3/8 was the first outfit I ever deployed with.
lol Mrs. Slab...
see? this is turning into a great discussion.
I remember when the VMI admin busted Matt St. Clair (along with several other cadet captains) from Regimental Commander to Private for leading a step-off against the administration's overreaching attempt to control the daily activities of our ratline, a time honored responsibility of the First Class in barracks. Even as 18 year old rats, we could recognize real leadership when we saw it. I think we all knew Matt would become an outstanding leader of Marines. Congratulations Matt and to all of my '89 dykes attaining command positions.
Will '92
Will, I remember the "Combinations Against Authority" well (or rather through the cobwebs of the last 19 years). However, I never did ask anyone outside our class (much less my dyke) what they thought about that whole adventure.
Good Luck and Godspeed to the Marines and sailors of the 22nd MEU.
I thought StClair'd retired to be a Wal-Mart greeter... I'd forgotten about the step-off.
Seriously - best wishes to him and his Marines!
St. Clair led a step-off against the administration and lost his stripes for it??
His stock went WAY up in my book. Godspeed and good hunting, sir!!!
As Bullnav said, 19 years tends to fog the memory about the details. I do remember our dykes suspending the ratline indefinitely. I also have a vague memory that at some point the administration's Officer in Charge of the guard team had his name removed from the announcement board and replaced with "OC for the Day: The First Class in Barracks". There may be a picture of that in the 89 BOMB (The VMI yearbook), but I'm not sure.
I shouldn't say that Matt was responsible for organizing and leading those events, but as the Regimental Commander and First Captain, I remember him being a prominent figure. He and several others were willing to sacrifice their stripes for what they believed was right. That definitely made an impression on us as rats.
Anon - yes, yes there is a picture in the '89 Bomb.
Page 207: the picture of the guard team board says, " GUARD TEAM; NOV 16 & 17; FIRST CLASS 89; SENIOR CADETS IN BARRACKS ALL 1ST."
My how that made November wonderful.
However, to go back to the main point of the post (which I admit, I digressed). Good luck to Matt and the 3/8 Marines. You guys have a tough job to do, and I know you will do it better than anyone else. I remember thinking when we were Rats together in A Co., that Matt was going to go far and do well. And do the right thing.
Stay safe BR, and kick some ass.
Glad to hear my son (Wpns Plt, Kilo, 3/8) is in good hands.
jdh '78
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man, 89 is really leading the way these days.