Colonel Christopher D. Gideons graduated with distinction from the Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned through the NROTC program in May 1991.
He currently serves as the Assistant Division Commander, 1st Marine Division (REIN).
A career infantry officer, his assignments in the Fleet Marine Forces include Rifle and Weapons Platoon Commander in 2d Battalion, 9th Marines; Platoon Commander and Company Executive Officer in 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion; Platoon Commander in Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) Company; Rifle Company Commander and Battalion Operations Officer in 3d Battalion, 1st Marines; Team Leader of the 26th Iraqi Brigade Military Transition Team; G-37 Director of Force Development, I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF); Chief of Staff for 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1st MEB). Commanding Officer of the 1st Marine Regiment from 2016 to 2018; and Commanding Officer of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) from August 2017 to April 2018. He most recently served as the Chief of Staff for I MEF from July 2018 to October 2020.
His assignments outside the Fleet Marine Forces include Physical Security Officer at Marine Corps Security Force Battalion; Commanding Officer of Recruiting Station Cleveland, Ohio; Commanding Officer of Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry-West; Deputy Director of the Afghan Operational Planning Team, U.S. Special Operations Command; Chief of Plans, Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan; Director of the Haqqani Fusion Cell, HQ International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Colonel Gideons has 10 operational deployments to include four Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) deployments with the 11th, 13th, and 15th MEU. He has conducted combat and military operations in a number of countries and in support of a number of named operations to include Operations Restore Hope, Somalia; Operation Fairwinds, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti; Operation Auburn Endeavor, Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia; Operation Determined Response, Aden, Yemen; Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan; Operation Inherent Resolve, Syria.
Colonel Gideons is a graduate of The Basic School, the Infantry Officers Course, the Amphibious Warfare School, and is a Distinguished Graduate of both the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the Joint Advanced Warfighting School. He has a Master’s Degree in Military Studies and a Master’s of Science in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy.
Colonel Gideons' personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with combat “V” and 1 gold star, the Combat Action Ribbon with 1 gold star, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with 1 silver star and 4 bronze stars.