Geneva native promoted to lieutenant colonel in U.S. Marine Corps

Major Nathan E. Werve, Executive Officer of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 (HMH-772) at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, was recently promoted to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Werve was born and raised in Geneva, having graduated Geneva High School and Northern Illinois University, with a B.S. in Operations and Information Systems. He was commissioned to second lieutenant in July 2003. He graduated from The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, in June 2004 after successfully completing initial officer training. He was assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola and designated a helicopter pilot and naval aviator in December 2005. He completed his CH-53E Super Stallion flight training at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, NC and was assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461.

First Lieutenant Werve was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan March to October 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit where he was promoted to captain and qualified as a CH-53E Helicopter Aircraft Commander. Then, continuing with HMH-461, he was selected as part of a presidential support mission to Ghana in 2009 as well as conducting counter narcotics operations with the DEA later that year 2009. In 2010, he was deployed to Haiti to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief following a devastating earthquake.

After being designated as a weapons and tactics instructor and air mission commander, he was deployed again to Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan for eight months in 2011. Captain Werve was transferred to New Jersey, where he served in the operations departments at HMH-772 and Marine Aircraft Group 49 and was promoted to major in 2014. He then served as a future operations planner in the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing Headquarters before he joined the Active Reserve and began his current role as executive Officer at HMH-772. Throughout his career, he has resided in Pensacola, Florida; Jacksonville, North Carolina; Mount Holly, New Jersey; Luling, Louisiana; and Chesterfield, New Jersey.

Lt. Col. Werve's personal decorations include Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Combat "V," Air Medal Strike/Flight (7th Award), Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2nd Award).

Lt. Col. Werve married Megan Pace. They have two children, Logan and Landon, and currently reside in Chesterfield, NJ. He is being reassigned to Naval Station Great Lakes in May. He will serve as the Marine Air Control Group 48 Site Commander and will reside in South Elgin.

Lt. Col. Werve is the son of Timothy and Nancy Werve, Geneva.