Marine Sgt. Maj. Diana E. Bacolod, the outgoing sergeant major of 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, passes a noncommissioned officer sword to Lt. Col. Nickolas D. Whitefield, the commanding officer of 5th Bn., 11th Marines, during a relief and appointment ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 17, 2023. During the ceremony, Bacolod relinquished her role as the battalion’s senior enlisted leader to Sgt. Maj. Joseph Martinez. Bacolod, a native of Brownsville, Texas, was the first female sergeant major of an artillery battalion.

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Keywords: 11th, 1st, 5/11, appointment, ceremony, division, marine, marines, relief