The commander of an Arizona-based Marine aviation support has been relieved of command in what appears to be a trend of high-level firings in the USMC aviation community.
According to the Marine Corps Times, LtCol Armando Gonzalez was relieved late last week due to “loss of confidence”.
Gonzalez allegedly created a hostile work environment, exhibiting such toxic leadership that three officers under his command and a contracted civilian decided to leave the Marine Corps. While USMC officials declined to elaborate as to why he was relieved, the 371st Squadron’s command has been assumed by Major Andrew Kano, the unit’s former executive officer.
Gonzalez enlisted in the Marines back in 1987, deploying in support of both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Selected for the Meritorious Commissioning Program in 1996, he was considered worthy of commission due to an outstanding service record.
Gonzalez also saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan, partaking in the infamous Operation Anaconda in 2002. In 2006, Gonzalez also served with the task force that evacuated nearly 15,000 US citizens from Lebanon.
The second firing in the Marine aviation community this year, Gonzalez departs at a very troubling time for Marine Air. With multiple aviation accidents, supply issues and command woes in recent memory, many of the Corps’ aircraft remain grounded due to shortages of parts and refitting capability for worn out airframes.
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