Fired Marine recon battalion commander is fourth Marine leader removed in recent weeks
The 1st Marine Division’s commander fired the officer in charge of Camp Pendleton’s 1st Reconnaissance Battalion on Tuesday, marking at least the fourth removal of a Marine commander in recent weeks.
Lt. Col. Francisco Zavala was removed from his command after Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi “lost trust and confidence in the commanding officer’s ability to lead,” according to a statement issued Wednesday from the division, which is based in California.
A spokesman for 1st Marine Division declined to provide any additional details about Zavala’s removal but indicated he was under
"some kind of investigation".
Zavala, who is from Texas, was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 2000 as an infantry officer and has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to his official biography. His former commands include leading a platoon with the 1st Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company, a company in 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, and recently the Corps’ Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Peru, according to the Marines.
He is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for combat valor for actions in Afghanistan in 2010, which included “sprinting more than three kilometers in full combat equipment” and, for more than 24 hours, securing a location where a Marine AH-1W Cobra helicopter had crashed. His actions prevented enemy forces from capturing the remains of two pilots killed in the crash, according to his award citation.
https://www.stripes.com/news/us/fired-marine-recon-battalion-commander-is-fourth-marine-leader-removed-in-recent-weeks-1.580199
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