Colonel Michael P. Marletto, U.S. Marine Corps

Colonel Michael P. Marletto 

United States Marine Corps, Retired

Inducted 2024

Michael P. Marletto was born in Oakland, California and graduated from California State University, East Bay in 1977.  Commissioned through the Platoon Leaders Class, he completed The Basic School, and attended the FA Officer Basic Course, Fort Sill. In 1978 he reported for duty to the 3rd 175mm Gun Battery, 4th BN, 11th Marines, where he served as Gun Platoon Commander and Fire Direction Officer.  He was transferred to the 3d Marine Division and was assigned as Liaison Officer and Executive Officer of Battery H, 3d BN, 12th Marines. Next, Marletto joined the instructor staff at the Field Artillery School, Fort Sill. During this tour he deployed to Beirut, Lebanon to serve as a counter battery radar subject matter expert and US Army Liaison Officer in support of the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit. Upon completion of his tour with the MarDet in 1984, he was ordered to Headquarters, USMC, Washington, D.C. and served as a Company Grade and Assistant Lieutenant Colonels monitor. Marletto returned to the 11th Marine Regiment serving as Assistant Regimental Operations Officer and Assistant Operations Office for 3d BN. He then assumed command of Battery H before his promotion to Major. After attending the CGSC and the School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, he reported to III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan to serve as the Assistant Officer-in-Charge of the Special Operations Training Group. During 1993, Marletto joined the staff of the United States Central Command where his duties included J-3 Ground Operations Officer and Aide-de-Camp to the CENTCOM Commander-in-Chief, GEN Binford Peay.. He then returned to the 1st Marine Division, where he commanded the 2nd BN, 11th Marines. Following command, he attended the National War College, then Marine Air Ground Task Force Staff Training Program, Quantico, to teach operational fire support planning and operations to MEF staff across the Marine Corps prior to his promotion to Colonel. Colonel Marletto assumed command of the 11th Marine Regiment in 2002 and subsequently led the Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom, also serving as the Division Fire Support Coordinator.  In 2004, he joined the I Marine Expeditionary Force staff to serve as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Innovation Technology and then as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations. During this tour he deployed to Iraq and served as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations for the Multi-National Force, West in Al Anbar Province. In his final active-duty assignment, he served as the Director, Strategic Plans and Integration Group, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton.  Following his retirement in July 2008, he was employed by AECOM where he worked on DoD Strategic Basing Initiatives in the Western Pacific. During this period and beyond, Col Michael P. Marletto remained a staunch advocate of fire support and the artillery.