Troy E. Black (born 1968/1969) is a

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and the 19th and current Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps as of July 26, 2019.

Early life

Black is a native of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

and a 1987 graduate of Jeffersontown High School.

Military career

Black entered U.S. Marine

recruit training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique deman ...

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (often abbreviated as MCRD PI) is an military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. ...

in April 1988, graduating in July 1988. In October 1988, he graduated from the

United States Marine Corps School of Infantry The School of Infantry (SOI) is the second stage of initial military training for enlisted United States Marines after recruit training. Since the initial training pipeline is divided between coasts, Marines from areas east of the Mississippi River ...

Camp Geiger Camp Geiger is a United States Marine Corps base. Although not geographically connected, Camp Geiger is part of the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune complex, and is home to the United States Marine Corps School of Infantry East for all Marines rec ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

and received the

military occupational specialty A United States military occupation code, or a military occupational specialty code (MOS code), is a nine-character code used in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps to identify a specific job. In the United States Air Force, a sy ...

of 0331-Machine Gunner. In December 1988, Black graduated the Marine Security Force School and was posted to the Marine Detachment aboard the

USS Forrestal (CV-59) USS ''Forrestal'' (CVA-59) (later CV-59, then AVT-59), was a supercarrier named after the first United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. Commissioned in 1955, she was the United States' first completed supercarrier, and was the lead ...

that deployed in 1989 in support of

Operation Just Cause Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

and to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. From September 1990 to 1993 he was posted to the

3rd Battalion, 5th Marines 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5, nicknamed Dark Horse) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and consists of approximately 1,000 Marines and Fleet Marine ...

, serving in successive capacities of gunner, team leader, section leader,

platoon sergeant In many militaries, a platoon sergeant is the senior enlisted member of a platoon, who advises and supports the platoon's commanding officer in leading the unit. Singapore In the Singapore Armed Forces, a platoon sergeant serves as the bridge ...

, and

platoon commander {{unreferenced, date=February 2013 A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth militaries and the US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer – a second or firs ...

. In December 1990, Black deployed with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines to

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

in support of

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

and later

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

. In 1993, he completed the U.S. Army Basic Airborne Course at the U.S. Army Airborne School. Between 1994 and 1997, Black served at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island as a

drill instructor A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Austr ...

and then a senior drill instructor. From 1997 to 2000, he was assigned to a Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, serving as a platoon sergeant, operations chief, and then a platoon commander. In 2000, Black returned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, where over the next three years he served as a senior drill instructor, Drill Instructor School instructor, and Recruit Training Regiment drill master. Between 2003 and 2006, he served in the

2nd Battalion, 1st Marines 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (2/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Horno on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Nicknamed "The Professionals," the battalion consists of approximately 1,200 Mar ...

as a company gunnery sergeant and then as a first sergeant, deploying twice to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Between 2006 and 2007, Black served as a company first sergeant in the

3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion (3rd AABn) is one of two active duty assault amphibian battalions in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion's primary weapon system is the Amphibious Assault Vehicle or AAV. The AAV is a 27.5-ton armored veh ...

. From 2007 to 2009, he served as a

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

at Officer Candidates School. Black served as the sergeant major of the

3rd Battalion, 7th Marines The 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment (3/7) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and consist of approximately 800 Marines. The battalion falls u ...

from 2009 to 2011, deploying twice to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2010, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for running through uncleared territory to rescue a fallen comrade hit by an

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mecha ...

. From 2011 to 2013, Black served as the sergeant major of

Combat Logistics Battalion 5 Combat Logistics Battalion 5 (CLB-5) is a logistics battalion of the United States Marine Corps. CLB-5 is a subordinate battalion to Combat Logistics Regiment 1 and the 1st Marine Logistics Group. The unit is based out of the Marine Corps Base Ca ...

. He served as the sergeant major of the

11th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (11th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 ...

from 2013 to 2015. Following that, Black served as the sergeant major of the

1st Marine Logistics Group The 1st Marine Logistics Group (1st MLG) is a logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, with several subordinate elements also located at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma a ...

from 2015 to 2017. He was named Sergeant Major of Manpower and Reserve Affairs in 2017. On April 25, 2019, Black was named the 19th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps and assumed the post on July 26, 2019.

Awards and decorations

* 8

service stripes A service stripe is an embroidered diagonal stripe worn on the sleeve(s) of some military and paramilitary uniforms. In the case of the United States Armed Forces, United States military, service stripes are authorized for wear by enlisted person ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Troy E. United States Marine Corps personnel of the Gulf War United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War United States Marine Corps personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Living people Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky Recipients of the Legion of Merit Sergeants Major of the Marine Corps Date of birth missing (living people) 1960s births