Dillon Streifeneder Selected as Executive Officer in Marine Corps

Dillon Streifeneder ’14 strove to remain an active participant in his education at Lebanon Valley College, an intense energy he has carried throughout his professional life. He graduated with honors and three bachelor’s degrees in history, political science, and music, as well as having experienced a variety of extracurricular activities, including playing varsity tennis and performing with the College Organ Guild. These engaging academic and social activities combined to provide Streifeneder with a robust background and fostered his tenacious character.

“Perhaps my most memorable experiences, both academic and social, came from the Organ Guild’s annual summer trip across the United States to play and hear some of the best instruments in the United States,” Streifeneder explains. “This included holding numerous fundraisers throughout the academic year that brought the entire department together outside of the normal academic environment, and led to countless, unforgettable memories.”

Surrounded with the small liberal arts atmosphere and professors that Streifeneder felt were truly dedicated to teaching provided him with the opportunity to develop the innovative skills that are crucial to the engaging and impactful LVC experience. “The most valuable asset Lebanon Valley College has is its dedicated teaching staff,” Streifeneder affirms. 

Opportunities to work closely with the professors on his honors committee during his senior honors thesis also assisted him in achieving academic success. 

“My classes in history and political science, in particular, focused around small group discussion with my peers. They also helped me develop excellent critical thinking skills and an ability to clearly articulate my thoughts, both essential skills in my profession,” Streifeneder outlines. 

Streifeneder’s time at LVC encouraged his desire to effect positive change on his local and national community by entering the Marines and officer training after completing his studies at The Valley. Echoing the College’s own creed, it is his belief that citizens should be actively engaged in their community and contribute to its prosperity through service.  

Streifeneder iterates other aspects of his rationale: “I wanted the opportunity to lead the finest fighting and peacekeeping force in the world and wanted to truly challenge myself mentally and physically in a way that is simply not possible in the civilian world.”

His passion for this position has resulted in his selection for command as an executive of an artillery battery of 70 Marines in Huntsville, Ala. This is atypical, Streifeneder says, with the normal progression for a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps to serve as a platoon commander to gain the experience and skills necessary before accepting the role of an executive officer. Challenging, yet Streifeneder feels confident that he will be able to rise to the occasion by staying focused on the benefits of leadership. 

“There is no greater privilege than leading the young men and women entrusted to one’s care as an officer, and I cannot wait to help make Kilo Battery the best artillery battery in the Marine Corps,” relays the resolute Marine.

As he waits for his time in office, Streifeneder intends to travel internationally through the military’s program of free air travel for service members on military C-130s. A close friend’s first duty station will occur at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, which will provide Streifeneder with a home base while traveling around Southeast Asia. 

Streifeneder plans to tour the Vietnamese countryside while using the Marine Corps University’s battlefield studies to visit sites of conflict from the Vietnam War. Following this exploration, he will travel to Japan and later Hungary and Germany.