--- title: "Marine Corps fires senior enlisted leader of 47,000-strong expeditionary force" description: "The Marine Corps has fired the senior enlisted leader of the 47,000-strong 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, California." date: "2022-02-23" modified: "2022-02-23" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-sgt-major-terrence-whitcomb-i-mef/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "United States" --- # Marine Corps fires senior enlisted leader of 47,000-strong expeditionary force ![]() *U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Terrence C. Whitcomb, the Sergeant Major of 1st Marine Division, speaks with Marines participating during the Super Squad Warriors’ Breakfast at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Aug. 30, 2019 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ana S. Madrigal)* The Marine Corps has fired the senior enlisted leader of the 47,000 strong 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, California. Sgt. Maj. Terrence Whitcomb, the sergeant major of the I MEF, was relieved by Lt. Gen. George Smith Jr., the commanding general, “due to loss of trust and confidence in his abilities to fulfill his assigned duties,” the force’s public affairs office said in a statement. The statement did not say who would assume the role of sergeant major of the force in Whitcomb’s absence. Based in Southern California, I Marine Expeditionary Force is the largest such force in the service, with a long history of combat deployments. As the unit’s sergeant major, Whitcomb was the senior enlisted leader of the 47,000 strong unit of Marines and sailors, which makes up about a quarter of the Corps’ active duty service. After joining the branch in 1993, Whitcomb served as a personnel clerk, an administrative chief, a drill instructor, an instructor of drill instructors, and in other roles across his 29-year career, according to his [official biography](). He deployed as an administrative chief with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005, then in support of the same operation with the 1st Marine Division as a company first sergeant in 2007, then a third time to the Middle East as part of a Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force sometime between 2016 and 2018. The unit’s public affairs office did not immediately respond to a request for more information about Whitcomb’s relief on Wednesday. This story will be updated as more details become available. ## What’s hot on Task & Purpose - [**A Marine sued the Navy**]() **over how it handles ‘bad paper’ discharges and won** - **Army 3-star general suspended amid investigation into**[ **toxic climate and racist comments**]() - **The best gear under $25** **to make life in the field suck less, according to soldiers** - **How a rivalry between two WWII vets led to** [**the world’s smallest flyable airplanes**]() - [**Air Force Reserve major helps**]() **to subdue unruly passenger aboard American Airlines flight** **Want to write for Task & Purpose?** [**Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on** [**our homepage.**]() ## Author David Roza is a senior reporter at Task & Purpose with extensive experience covering aviation, technology, military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and a range of other personnel matters.David previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025 before returning to Task & Purpose as a scriptwriter for the team's YouTube channel. Share tips and story ideas with David at david.roza@recurrent.io. ## More - [Marine Corps fires senior officers and top enlisted leader of Osprey squadron]() - [Marine Corps names new top enlisted leader]() - [Top enlisted Marine to be new senior enlisted advisor to Milley]() - [Marine Corps fires commander and sergeant major of Hawaii infantry battalion]() - [The Marine Corps wants junior Marines to have a say in who their leaders are]() - [Marines fire two Parris Island leaders in charge of recruit training]() - [Top enlisted leader of Air Force Special Operations Command fired amid investigation]() - [Senior enlisted Air Force leader pens typo-riddled letter demanding ‘flawless’ paperwork]()