BELLE CHASSE, La. -- Active and Reserve Marines gathered at the Armed Forces Reserve Center here April 30 to bid farewell to two leaders retiring after more than a combined 50 years of Marine Corps service.
Col. Catherine D. Barker, assistant chief of staff, 4th Marine Logistics Group and Gunnery Sgt. Jerry L. Shreeman, Operations Chief, 4th MLG, shared the spotlight light as the unit and its leaders lead the ceremony honoring the Marines’ years of honorable service.
“I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve my country and its people,” said a beaming Barker. “Looking back at the years I’ve served, there’s truly nothing I would change about my time in the Marine Corps.”
Maj. Gen. Tracy L. Garrett, 4th MLG commanding general, reviewed the ceremony and fondly reflected upon her relationship with Barker.
“Col. Barker has been invaluable to our team for several years now,” she said. “She really understands the full spectrum of the Marine Corps and has an overall view that always gets the mission accomplished.”
Barker was commissioned as an adjutant in 1981 and completed tours as platoon commander with 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan and as a company commander at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. Following these tours she was mobilized as a logistics officer for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
After these initial billets, Barker was promoted to major and served at Marine Corps Bases Quantico, Va.; Camp Lejuene, N.C.; and Camp Pendleton, Calif. After another promotion, she served with 4th Marine Division and was again activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom I as the officer-in-charge of the Peacetime/ Wartime Support Team, 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division.
In 2004 Barker joined 4th MLG as a colonel and was mobilized again for Operation Iraqi Freedom II and deployed as assistant chief of staff for II Marine Expeditionary Force in Al Asad, Iraq. She currently holds a position on the board of directors for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and holds a seat on the board of governors of the Marine Corps Association.
“I may not drill anymore, but I could never sever all connection with the Marine Corps,” Barker said. “I may be leaving the Marine Corps as a drilling Reservist and won’t be able to mobilize any more, but I will still be a part of it.”
While Barker exits the Marine Corps after 30 years, Shreeman is ready to write a new chapter in his life after more than 20 years of constant commitment to the Corps.
“I’ve worked for my Marines for my whole career,” said Shreeman. “My Marines have not worked for me. I am thankful for being able to do what I love for twenty years.”
Though Shreeman worked tirelessly for and with Marines, it is his extracurricular activities that impressed many.
“One of the most significant things to know about Gunnery Sgt. Shreeman is his work with the youth,” Garrett pointed out. “He has helped to educate our next generation and instill our Corps values in many groups of young people.”
Shreeman began his journey with the Marine Corps upon standing on the yellow foot prints at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on May 21, 1989. From there, Shreeman reported to The Basic School’s Support Battalion at Quantico to be a legal clerk.
Shreeman participated in LogEx 92 and Exercise Team Spirit 93 after reporting to 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan and became a non-commissioned officer while there. In May 1993 he arrived at Marine Forces Reserve in New Orleans and acted as a senior drill instructor for the General Livingston Young Marine Program. After a tour with Marine Aviation Training Support Group 21 in Pensacola, Fla., Shreeman deployed to Norway as part of Task Force Tarawa and Iraq with 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.
In 2004 Shreeman became responsible for the administrative duties of five Marine Corps astronauts when he joined MATSG-22 and three years later reported to New Orleans FOR A SECOND TIME – this time as 4th MLG’S operations chief. He deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Africa and Korea while serving with 4th MLG and earned a combat action ribbon amongst several other awards.
Through all of his deployments and work with the young, Shreeman has also earned a degree in business administration and is ready to cut a new path in civilian life.
“I graduated from High School on a Friday and entered the Marine Corps the following Monday,” he said. “It feels strange to stray from the path, but I’m ready to see what there is in store for me.”