Colonel Long is a native of New Castle, Delaware, Colonel Long graduated from William Penn High School and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1985. After graduating from boot camp in November, 1985, he entered the Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare training pipeline and was designated a Naval Aircrewman. He was assigned to the flying squadron HSL-34 in Norfolk, Virginia and completed deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf. Upon completion of his active duty enlistment in November 1989, he enrolled at the University of Delaware. During this period, he was transferred to HSL-94 as a drilling reservist. He attended the Platoon Leader’s Class Combined in the summer of 1993 and was promoted to 2ndLt in May 1994 upon graduation.
Following his graduation from the Basic School and the Motor Transport Officers Course, Colonel Long has held numerous command and staff positions within Headquarters Marine Corps, the Marine Division, the Marine Logistics Group, CBIRF, and the Supporting Establishment. These include serving as a Motor Transport Platoon Commander within Combat Service Support Group-3; as Regimental Motor Transport Officer and Maintenance Management Officer for 3d Marine Regiment; as Battalion S-4 Officer within Maintenance Battalion; Engineer Maintenance Company Commander for 3D Materiel Readiness Battalion; as Assistant Logistics Operations Officer, Blount Island Command; G-4 Logistics Operations Officer, 1st Marine Logistics Group; S-3 MPF Plans Officer, Combat Logistics Regiment-17; Executive Officer, Combat Logistics Battalion-1; G-4 Logistics Operations Officer, Marine Special Operations Command; Executive Officer, CBIRF; Programmer, Logistics Combat Element, Logistics Plans, Policies, and Strategic Mobility Division, Installations and Logistics Department, Headquarters Marine Corps, Director WSMC, Logistics Command, and AC/S G-4, 3D MARDIV.
His deployments in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom include: serving as the Technical Assistance Advisory Team operations officer for Blount Island Command for the selective download of MPF ships in support of OIF II in 2004; serving as 1st MLG Liaison Officer to the MNF-W Command Element in 2006; and the Executive Officer for CLB-1 for OIF 5-7.
He was promoted to his current rank on 1 March 2017. His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (with gold stars in lieu of 3rd award) and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with gold star in lieu of 2nd award).