Marine sergeant major discharged from West Coast boot camp now in jail

The former senior noncommissioned officer of the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, is currently being held in custody due to an ongoing investigation, Marine Corps and Navy officials told Task & Purpose on Monday.

Sgt. Maj. Gerardo Trevino was relieved of his duties Sept. 12 by Col. Peter Rummler, commander of the Recruit Training Regiment, due to a “loss of confidence,” according to Capt. Austin Gallegos, a spokesman for the recruit depot.

“The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is conducting an investigation and no further details will be released at this time,” Gallegos told Task & Purpose.

Trevino has been placed in protective custody, said Darwin Lam, an NCIS spokesman, who also confirmed that the agency is conducting a “thorough investigation” into Trevino.

Lam did not specify what investigators are looking for or why Trevino is currently in custody.

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“Out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS will not comment further while the investigation is ongoing,” Lam said.

No information was available on the specific reason Trevino was relieved of his duties or why he is under investigation. The military services often use the term “loss of confidence” to explain why commanding officers and senior noncommissioned officers have been relieved of their duties for a wide range of alleged personal and professional misconduct.

Trevino, originally from McAllen, Texas, graduated from Marine Corps Recruit San Diego in December 2004 and went on to work as a payments technician, according to his official biography, which has since been removed from the Marine Corps Recruit San Diego website.

In 2006, Trevino was selected as Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and received orders to airborne training. After joining the 1st Marine Logistics Group, he deployed to Rawah, Iraq in 2008 and Marjah, Afghanistan in 2010.

Trevino was later ordered to Drill Instructor School and served with the 3d Battalion, India Company as a drill instructor, senior drill instructor, and Marine Corps Water Survival instructor. He went on to serve as an inspector with the Marine Corps Administrative Analysis Team at Headquarters Marine Corps, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Quantico, Virginia.

In 2019, he was promoted to First Sergeant and assigned to the Marine Barracks Washington, DC

Trevino was promoted to sergeant major last year when he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal in lieu of second award, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal in lieu of fourth award, and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

He is one of several senior noncommissioned officers who have recently been discharged, including Army Sgt. Maj. Jaime I. Rubio; Command Sgt. Maj. Harold “Ed” Jarrell; Command Sgt. Major Veronica E. Knapp; and Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Carlson.

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