2nd Marine Logistics Group
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Commanding Officer, Combat Logistics Regiment 27
Colonel Melissa D. Chestnut

Col Chestnut enlisted in the United States Marine Corps October 22, 1990. Following recruit training; she served as the Fiscal Clerk with 3d Medical Battalion, 3d Force Service Support Group (FSSG), Camp Hanson, Okinawa, Japan. In April 1992 she reported to 1st Supply Battalion, 1st FSSG and was assigned to the Training Allowance Pool (TAP) where she served as the Issue and Receiving Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) for two years. She was accepted to the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) program in 1994 and subsequently received her commission through the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) in December 1998.

Her first tour as a commissioned officer was as the Reparable Issue Point (RIP) Officer for then Combat Service Support Group-1 (CSSG-1), 1st FSSG in 29 Palms, CA. While with this command she deployed to Iraq for Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom and served as Company Commander, Material Readiness Company, Combat Service Support Battalion 10 (CSSB-10) during the deployment. She also served as the Company Commander, Support Company, CSSB-10, Supply Officer for CSSB-10 (now CLB-7) and the Supply Officer for Combined Arms Exercise (CAX) 5/6-2004.

In July 2004 she attended the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, CA and graduated September 2006. For her payback tour she served as the MarineNet Officer with the now titled College of Distance Education (CDE), Training and Education Command (TECOM) in Quantico, VA until June 2009.

She then reported to Okinawa, Japan and was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division as the 3rd Marine Division Supply Officer until July 2011. While at 3rd Marine Division she served as the Logistic Operations Center (LOC) OIC for several exercises, including Key Resolve and Yama Sakura. While assigned to 3rd Marine Division she deployed to Iraq as an Individual Augmentee (IA) and was assigned as the Deputy Director of Operations for Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Ministry of Interior (ITAM-MOI). In August of 2011, she reported to Command and Staff College in Quantico, VA and graduated in June 2012. She then reported to 2d Supply Battalion in Camp Lejeune, NC as the Operations Officer. While assigned to 2d Supply Battalion she deployed to Afghanistan with II Marine Expeditionary Force Forward (MEF FWD) as the C-4 Sustainment OIC. Upon her return from Afghanistan in August 2013, she was assigned as the Executive Officer of 2d Supply Battalion until May 2015 and subsequently assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment (CLR) 25 as the Regimental Executive Officer until May 2016. While still assigned to CLR-25, she was selected as the Battalion Commander for 2d Supply Battalion, a billet she served in until June 2018.

Upon completion of command, she attended Top Level School (TLS) at the National War College in Washington, DC, graduating June 2019. Upon completion of TLS she served as the Supply Policy and Sustainment (LPS-1) Section Head assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, (HQMC), Installations and Logistics (I&L), Logistics Division (LP), Sustainment Branch (LPS) until July 2021. Her most recent assignment until Jun 2023, was as the Director of the Logistics & Engineering (J4) for US Forces Japan, where she was subsequently selected as the Commander, CLR-27.

Col Chestnut was born in Pensacola, FL but raised in Dallas, TX. She has one sister and two brothers who all currently reside in Dallas, TX. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Clark Atlanta University, a Master of Science degree in Information Technology Management from the Naval Post Graduate School, a Master of Science degree in Military Studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College. Her personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (x6), Navy Commendation Medal (x2) and the Navy Achievement Medal