MCLB Albany honors Base Sergeant Major Chad M. Coston who retires after 30 years of service

ALBANY, Ga. – The Marine Corps Logistics Base honor a highly respected Base Sergeant Major (Sgt. Maj.) for decades of dedicated service.

The Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany hosted a retirement ceremony for Sgt. Maj. Chad M. Coston.

Sgt. Maj. Coston enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 1, 1994, and has completed 30 years of distinguished service, fulfilling a wide array of duties throughout his career.

“He’s been a tremendous marine for three decades, and we want to honor his service, thank him and support his family. So, the Sergeant Major is a critical link for the enlisted Marines. He’s a dad. He’s a mentor. He’s a teacher. He’s a disciplinarian, but he’s also a motivator and a mentor. And, so, when he engages with Marines, he does it on a personal level. And, he truly connects with them. And, he speaks from the heart, because he’s been in their shoes. He’s a leader first, and he is the example. He leads absolutely by example. He is what the marines want to be. And, by demonstrating that good example, it shows the marines how they can aspire to move up the chain and to be a Sergeant Major one day themselves,” said Matthew J. McKinney, MCLB Commanding Officer.

Sgt. Maj. Chad M. Coston was presented with a Presidential Letter of Appreciation for his honorable and faithful service, celebrated by friends, family, and colleagues.

Sgt. Maj. Coston reflects on his most cherished memories from his tenure with the Marine Corps Logistics Base.

“Some of the fondest memories for MCLB Albany is being a part of Net Zero, the vector center that the Albany Tech’s working with, being an advocate for that, the SKILL Bridge program with them as well, liaison with the community leaders and seeing how they support this base tremendously, which most bases don’t get,” said Sgt. Maj. Chad M. Coston, MCLB Previous Installation.

Sgt. Major Coston is also deeply involved in the community. He has worked young veterans, the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, and is diligently working to open a Veterans Education Career Transition Center in Southwest Georgia. This center will assist service members seeking benefits, entrepreneurship opportunities, and community resources after completing their service.

Sgt. Major Coston shares his plans after retirement and leaves a endearing message for the next generation of Marines.

“I bought property here up in Hogansville, Georgia, so I’m making Georgia my home and I plan on hopefully becoming a Georgia State Game Warden. We’ll know in a few weeks if I’ll get hired. If not, the next option is LaGrange PD. It’s not what I spent the last four months learning how to do to become an air conditioner mechanic, so I’ll fall back on that. I would say remember that you’re a service member first and that all else is secondary. You’re telling the government that if we go somewhere, your life’s on the line. And, to hone your craft and be experts at it and do your very best at every and endeavor that you seek out,” said Sgt. Maj. Coston.

We wish Sergeant Major Coston a fulfilling and joyous retirement, filled with new adventures.

Good luck!

De’Andra Jacobs reporting.

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