Dalton native now commander of U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division
Sep. 21—Dalton native U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans recently took command of the U.S Army's 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii.
"I'm truly blessed to be a part of such an incredible unit such as the Tropic Lightning Division," said Evans during a change-of-command ceremony at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. "I look forward to serving alongside you all."
Evans' brother, Rock Bridge Community Church Lead Pastor Matt Evans who is also the chairman of the Dalton Board of Education, said he has been proud to watch his brother's success.
"I didn't get to go to Hawaii but our parents did," he said. "This is a tremendous honor and a huge responsibility. I did talk to him Sunday night, and he said he loved what he is doing."
Marcus Evans, a 1988 graduate of Dalton High School, attended Tennessee Technological University on a football scholarship and joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).
"It was in college that I first really started thinking about joining the Army," he told the Dalton Daily Citizen in 2018. "It came about after conversations with a friend there about the opportunities that had been afforded to members of his family through ROTC."
After graduation, Evans was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington. After completing that assignment, he served with the 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning. That was followed by assignments to the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Ranger Battalion, 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment headquarters and 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He commanded the 3rd Ranger Battalion from July 2011 to June 2013 and was assigned to Joint Special Operations Command from July 2014 to February 2015. He was commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment from 2015 to 2017.
He was most recently chief of staff, U.S. Special Operations Command.
While at Dalton High School, Evans played football, wrestled and ran track.
"Coach Bill Chappell was such a positive influence on me and a ton of other young men," he said in 2018. "My (football) teammates and I had the benefit of playing in rec league and middle school and then coming together under a group of coaches who reinforced teamwork, who reinforced a strong work ethic and a belief that we should never quit."
