Major Daniel Crain is a native of Milaca, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Saint Thomas in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management. He graduated from Officer Candidate School and commissioned in the Marine Corps in 2011. Major Crain subsequently graduated from the Basic Officer Course and the Infantry Officer Course in 2012.
Major Crain has had the privilege of serving as a Platoon Commander in 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, where he deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; Company Executive Officer in 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines; Company Commanded in 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 5th Marine Regiment where he deployed with the 31st MEU aboard the USS AMERICA; and Battalion Executive Officer of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, where he currently serves.
Major Crain’s supporting establishment tours include serving as a Company Executive Officer and Company Commander in the Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry-West, and as an instructor in Expeditionary Warfare Training Group-Atlantic (EWTGLANT), where he supported training and instruction for ARG, MEU, ESG, and MEB-level staffs, and supported security cooperation initiatives in SOUTHCOM and CENTCOM.
Major Crain is a graduate of the United States Navy’s Amphibious Warfare Tactics Instructor program, Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School-Blended Seminar Program, and a distinguished graduate and Gray Scholar of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He holds a master’s degree in military science.