David Monroe, Colonel USMCR (Ret)
Chairman
David Monroe enlisted in the Marine Corps 11 January 1982 at the age of 17. Graduating from 3rd Battalion, Parris Island 14 August 1982 he was assigned to Landing Support Battalion, Charleston Naval Base and subsequently Long Lines Company, Brooklyn, New York as a multi-channel radio operator. Completing two, six-week sessions of Officer Candidate School in 1984 and 1985, David was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation from Saint Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. Upon completion of the Basic School in 1986, David attended the Infantry Officer Course and was then assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines as a Rifle Platoon Commander.
From 1987 through 1992 David served twice as a Rifle Platoon Commander, Target Information Officer, Detachment Executive Officer, TOW Missile Platoon Commander, and TOW Company Executive Officer. He completed two deployments with the 22nd MEU and one with MarDet UNITAS. Departing active-duty February of 1992, Captain Monroe then joined the Full Time Support (later transitioned to Active Reserve) Program in August. He spent five years at the School of Infantry as a Company Commander, Legal Officer and Battalion Executive Officer. Duty with Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune was spent as the Base Mobilization Plans and Destructive Weather Officer. Leaving the Active Reserve Program for the Individual Ready Reserve, then Major Monroe joined Diplomatic Security (DS) 1 February, 1999. He joined the Secretary of State’s Protective Detail and protected Madeline Albright and Colin Powell until late 2001 when he returned to active
School of Infantry 1992
duty after 9/11. Returning to DS in 2003, he served as an Assistant, Regional Security Officer in Pristina, Kosovo and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. In 2004 he was assigned to the New Orleans Resident Office as a Criminal Investigator and joined the 4th Marine Division completing deployments to Okinawa and Korea. David spent his final 18 months in New Orleans dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
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After a DS assignment to the Naval War College in 2007, David decided to return to active duty and spent the next four years with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. His assignments included a deployment as the Future Operations Officer and a second deployment as the only reserve officer to assume the Executive Officer billet. During those four years and three deployments, David supported the MEU at 5th Fleet in Bahrain, represented the MEU at 4th Fleet during the Haiti Earthquake of 2010, and deployed aboard the USS Bataan during the Arab Spring. This remains the second longest deployment since the end of World War 2. Completing his period of active duty, David was promoted to Colonel and again transitioned to the reserve component.
Returning again to DS in 2012, David was assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in New York and was the conduit between the FBI and Department of State during the Benghazi Investigation. Subsequent to the JTTF assignment David served in Baghdad from 2014-2015 overseeing the Tactical Operations Center and Greensboro, NC as a case agent (2015-2017) and the Resident Agent-in-Charge (2017-2019). David retired from the Marine Corps on 1 June 2016 while supporting the History Division.
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His final assignment with DS was Branch Chief for the Advanced Tactics, Leadership, and Skillsc (ATLaS) Program, Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (2019-2021). Since retirement David has enjoyed all water-oriented activities, including kayaking, fishing, swimming, and boating. He holds a Merchant Mariner Credential, 25-Ton Captain License, is a past Post
Dave with Nikki Haley in 2018
9960 (2021-2022), and current President of the Marine Corps Mustang Association since May 2023. As of 14 August 2023, David is again a Special Agent (Rehired Annuitant) with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. This specified assignment has included close protection of two, retired, 4-star generals due to persistent threats from an overseas nation.
David has been married to his wife Scarlet (a retired Marine Corps Major and civil servant) for 29 years and they reside in Cape Carteret, North Carolina.