The 1st female Marine expeditionary force sergeant major is on her way
By Irene Loewenson
Nov 30, 03:39 PM
For the first time, a female Marine will serve as the top enlisted adviser to a three-star general, the Corps announced Wednesday.
Sgt. Maj. Joy Kitashima, now the senior enlisted leader of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, was selected on Nov. 22 to be the sergeant major of III Marine Expeditionary Force, the Pacific-focused force based in Okinawa, Japan. She tentatively is scheduled to assume the role in July 2023.
Sergeant majors serve as the senior enlisted advisers to senior commanders. At III Marine Expeditionary Force, the commanding general is Lt. Gen. James W. Bierman Jr.
A Bloomington, Indiana, native, Kitashima enlisted in May 1996 and became a member of the military police, according to her official bio. She served as a military police officer at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan; Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina; and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2022/11/30/the-1st-female-marine-expeditionary-force-sergeant-major-is-on-her-way/
