BARSTOW—Colonel Sekou Karega has assumed command of the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow from Colonel Michael Scalise.
Scalise had been in place as base commander since 2012. He and his wife Anne and their two children, Jack and Katie, are now heading to his next billet at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Upon departing, Scalise said of the logistics base and Barstow, “It was a pleasure to have been a part of this wonderful community for three years.”
Karega comes to Barstow from Washington, D.C., where he was until recently serving in the Pentagon as a senior officer overseeing the Marine Corps Installations Command.
Karega hails from of Benton Harbor, Michigan. He has a bachelor of science degree in biology and holds a juris doctor degree, which he earned in 1993 from Thomas M. Colley Law School. He later earned a master’s degree in national security affairs in 2002. He is the author of the book, Political Transition in Iran: the ideological struggle for power within the Islamic Republic.
Some of Karega’s personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and two Gold Stars. He was formerly the Marine Corps’ intelligence attaché in the West African county of Senegal.
Karega said, “I’m looking forward to a close and prosperous relationship working with the community and giving my best to this base during my time here.”