Hartsville Marine officer assumes command of overseas regiment

OKINAWA, Japan – Marine Col. David L. Odom, a 1987 graduate of Hartsville High School, took over as the commanding officer for the 4th Marine Regiment at Camp Schwab in Okinawa.

The infantry regiment is a part of the 3rd Marine Division of the Marine Expeditionary Force, according to Odom’s father, Phil. His son became commanding officer on June 27.

After graduating from Hartsville High, Odom attended The Citadel where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He later earned a master’s degree in military, operational, and strategic studies from Marine Corps University.

In the fall of 2012, he completed a Timothy T. Day Foundation Marine Corps Executive Fellowship at Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Odom is married to retired Marine Lt. Col. Michelle Trusso, and the couple has two children, Tasher, 14, and Barrett, 11. He is the son of Phil and Sara Odom of Hartsville.

Odom’s personal decorations include the Legion of Merit (with Combat Distinguishing Device), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with Gold Star), the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with Gold Star), the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal (with 2 Gold Stars) and the Combat Action Ribbon, according to the Marine Corps website.