The commander of the Marine Corps' school for administrators has been removed after officials cited a loss of confidence in his leadership.
Lt. Col. Paul Fillmore, 46, was relieved as commander of the Personnel Administration School at Camp Johnson Geiger, North Carolina, on Friday July 31 by Marine Corps Combat Service Support Schools commander Col. David Jones, officials said. The firing was first reported by the Jacksonville Daily News.
"Col. Jones cited a loss of trust and confidence in Lieutenant Colonel's Fillmore's ability to command as the basis for the relief," said a spokesman for Marine Corps Training Command, 1st Lt. Matthew Rojo, a spokesman for Marine Corps Training Command, said in a statement. "The Marine Corps holds all Marines, especially commanders, to a high set of standards."
Rojo said an investigation into the actions that prompted Fillmore's relief was ongoing and no further details about the incident were available.
Until a replacement commander arrives, the school's executive officer, Maj. Joseph Seykora, will serve as interim commander, he said.
Fillmore arrived at the school in April 2014, officials said. A Virginia native, Fillmore enlisted in 1995 and was commissioned in 1996, according to a command biography since taken offline.
Trained as an adjutant, Fillmore previously served as a project officer for Marine Corps Systems Command out of Quantico, Virginia, within the plans and operations branch for Marine Forces Pacific and within the manpower sector at U.S. Central Command in Florida Tampa.
He spent a year deployed as the strength manager for Multi-National Force Iraq and most recently served as the deputy for manpower at 2nd Marine Division prior to commanding the Personnel Administration School. He also has degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and Marine Corps Command and Staff College, according to his biography.
Fillmore did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment about his firing.
