Major John Auer is a native of Franklin, TN, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2007 from The Citadel, Military College of South Carolina, where he joined the Officer Candidate Course (OCC). After commissioning through OCC-197, he attended The Basic School and Infantry Officer’s Course in 2008 and the Light Armored Reconnaissance Leaders course in 2009.
Second Lieutenant Auer reported to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, where he deployed twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom between 2009 and 2011 as a Platoon Commander in Company A, Company Executive Officer, and Joint Terminal Attack Controller in Company B in support of combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
In 2011, 1stLt Auer reported to Marine Barracks Washington, D.C. He held the billets of Platoon Commander and Executive Officer in Company B, 3-Alpha, and Company Commander in H&S Company. In his final billet at 8th and I, he led as the Platoon Commander for the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon in Company A for one year. As a collateral duty, Captain Auer was a military social aide in the White House for two years during the Obama administration.
In July 2015, Captain Auer reported to Expeditionary Warfare School in Quantico, VA, and graduated in May 2016. Capt Auer was then assigned as an augment to Officer Candidate School as a Platoon Commander for 3rd Platoon, Company A. Following this, he reported to Second Battalion First Marine Regiment for duties in August 2016 as a Company Commander.
Captain Auer took command of Company F, 2nd Battalion First Marine Regiment, and trained with them until the fall of 2017, when he moved over to become Headquarters Company Commander for the 1st Marine Regiment. This move resulted in his assignment to augment the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Crisis Response Central Command as a Company Commander.
Captain Auer reported in the summer of 2018 to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit that had been selected to be the Command Element of the SPMAGTF-CR-CC and deployed for 9 months. During this period, he was assigned to be the Liaison Officer to the three-star command, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve in Baghdad, Iraq, where he represented TF 51/5 and the SPMAGTF-CR-CC.
Upon redeployment to Camp Pendleton, Major Auer took on responsibilities as the Assistant Operations Officer at the 1st Marine Regiment, where he remained for the rest of 2019 until July 2020. This period included a deployment for training in the United Arab Emirates.
In the summer of 2020, Major Auer executed a permanent change of station to be an advisor at the Marine Corps Training Mission-United Arab Emirates. After advising both a Mechanized Infantry Brigade and Presidential Guard Special Forces for one year out of Dubai, UAE, he checked into SOI-West for assignment to the Infantry Unit Leaders Training Company within Advanced Infantry Training Battalion for two years as a Company Commander before shifting over to become the Executive Officer, Headquarters and Support Battalion where he is currently serving.
His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal with three gold stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two gold stars, and the Combat Action Ribbon.