Official Biography

Gunnery Sergeant Eric Gonzales studied towards his Bachelors in Music Education at the University of Arizona when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 2010, and attended recruit training at MCRD San Diego, California. After graduation in November of 2010 as the company honor graduate, Lance Corporal Gonzales attended Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton, California where he graduated honor graduate there as well. He then reported to the Naval School of Music as a student in the Basic Music Course where he completed the training on an accelerated training schedule and was promoted to the rank of Corporal.



Corporal Gonzales’ first assignment was to III Marine Expeditionary Force Band, Okinawa, Japan where he became a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program Instructor and served as the Drum Major for prestigious performances such as The Japanese Self Defense Force Marching Festival at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.



He was promoted to Sergeant in October of 2013 and in August of 2014 Sergeant Gonzales was transferred to the 1st Marine Division Band where he served in a variety of billets including the Headquarters Battalion Security Platoon as a squad leader, leading Marines in rifleman and machine gunner training. In October of 2017, he was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant and served as the Assistant Drum Major.



Staff Sergeant Gonzales was selected for the Unit Leader’s Course at the Navy School of Music and graduated in August 2018 transferring to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina where he was selected for and served as the Drum Major. Staff Sergeant Gonzales drafted and implemented various programs while at Parris Island, including the split and follow on operations orders in order to sustain operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.



Staff Sergeant Gonzales transferred back to the 1st Marine Division Band in December of 2020 to serve as the Drum Major. As a member of the legendary Blue Diamond, Staff Sergeant Gonzales developed and led an aggressive and ambitious community engagement campaign including restarting the west coast Fleet Week celebrations after the hiatus imposed by COVID-19.



In January of 2023, Staff Sergeant Gonzales transferred to the Marine Detachment at the Naval School of Music for his current assignment as the Drum Major Instructor, Platoon Sergeant, and Detachment Gunnery Sergeant. He was promoted to his current rank of Gunnery Sergeant in April of 2024.



Gunnery Sergeant Gonzales’ military decorations include the Navy / Marine Corps Commendation Medal (second award) and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (second award) and has been accepted for publication with the Marine Corps Gazette. Gunnery Sergeant Gonzales is married to Shannon Gonzales and has two children, Zoe & Kaylee.