A Marine noncommissioned officer — referred to as “Sergeant Main Kettlebell” — was relieved from his place as the highest senior enlisted adviser for one of many service’s two infantry colleges.
Sgt. Maj. Steven Burkett was fired for “lack of belief and confidence” final month by Col. Seth MacCutcheon, the Marine Corps College of Infantry-West commanding officer, in line with a service spokesperson.
Burkett was eliminated on July 13, a spokesperson for Marine Corps Coaching and Training Command lately informed Army.com. It was not instantly clear precisely why Burkett was relieved.
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In April, Burkett gained Camp Pendleton‘s Male Marine Athlete of the 12 months competitors and set a mark acknowledged by Guinness World Data for essentially the most weight lifted by kettlebell swing in a single hour.
He additionally holds the data for many weight lifted in each one minute and three minutes, in line with Guinness’ web site. All data have been recorded whereas he was serving within the Marine Corps.
Burkett had amassed acclaim and a following due to his record-breaking, incomes him the moniker “Sergeant Main Kettlebell,” which he used because the deal with for his now-unavailable Instagram account.
Marine Corps Instances was first to report the firing Monday. Army.com reached out to Burkett via a social media account.
“A preliminary inquiry was performed into the matter and will be requested via the Freedom of Info Act,” Maj. Joshua Pena, a spokesperson for Coaching and Training Command, informed Marine Corps Instances. The service’s public data workplace informed the publication that it will not launch the inquiry, nevertheless.
Burkett seems to have been changed by Sgt. Maj. Joseph Powers. Earlier than taking on after Burkett’s firing, Powers had been the highest enlisted chief for the infantry college’s headquarters and assist battalion since March 2022. As of Tuesday, Powers continues to be listed because the headquarters and assist battalion sergeant main.
The Marine Corps College of Infantry has east and west bases. The College of Infantry-West is positioned in Camp Pendleton, California, and trains fresh-out-of-boot-camp Marines in primary infantry expertise and techniques. Riflemen, machine gunners, mortarmen and anti-tank missilemen attend the college.
Previous to his task at Pendleton, Burkett served because the command senior enlisted chief for Joint Job Pressure Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the place he began the “Guantanamo Kettlebell Membership,” in line with Marine Corps Instances. He was beforehand in cost of the Marine Corps Embassy Safety Group at Quantico, Virginia.
— Drew F. Lawrence will be reached at drew.lawrence@army.com. Comply with him on Twitter @df_lawrence.
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