Colonel Roe S. Lemons Jr. is a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, and the son of a Korean War soldier. He is a 2002 graduate of the University of Houston. Following graduation from The Basic School in 2003, he completed the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
In April 2004, Colonel Lemons began his operational assignments with Battery B, 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. He deployed with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 3d Marines, as a Forward Observer and Headquarters Platoon Commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, participating in combat operations during Operation Red Wings in the Korengal Valley. He later served as Battery B Executive Officer and Guns Platoon Commander before deploying with 1st Battalion, 12th Marines under Task Force Military Police 1/12 as Battery B Executive Officer and Detention Operations Officer in Charge in support of Operation IRAQI Freedom in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
In December 2007, Colonel Lemons served with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) at Camp Pendleton, California, as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), deploying to Iraq as a Firepower Control Team Leader and Brigade Platoon Fire Support Officer. He later deployed to Helmand and Nimruz Provinces, Afghanistan, as a Supporting Arms Liaison Team Leader supporting Afghan, Georgian, and U.S. Army forces, participating in combat operations during Operation MOSHTARAK in Marjah, Afghanistan. Upon completion of this deployment, Colonel Lemons attended the Expeditionary Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia, in 2010.
In May 2011, Colonel Lemons served with 3d Battalion, 10th Marines, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, deploying with Regimental Combat Team 8 as the Current Operations Officer in Afghanistan. He later commanded Battery K, 3d Battalion, 10th Marines; served as Assistant Fire Support Coordinator for 8th Marines; and deployed as a Fires and Operations Advisor with the Operations Coordination Center–Regional (OCC-R), supporting Afghan security forces in Helmand Province. He subsequently served as the Assistant Operations Officer for 10th Marines.
In June 2014, Colonel Lemons served as a Faculty Advisor at the Expeditionary Warfare School and completed the resident Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico, Virginia.
In June 2017, Colonel Lemons served as Assistant Fire Support Coordinator for 1st Marine Division and Executive Officer for 1st Battalion, 11th Marines at Camp Pendleton, California.
In June 2019, Colonel Lemons was assigned to Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, serving as Fires and Night Chief of Operations at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, and Operations Officer at the Combined Joint Operations Center in Akçakale, Türkiye, supporting the United States-Turkey bilateral agreement in northeastern Syria.
In April 2020, Colonel Lemons assumed command of 3d Battalion, 12th Marines, in Okinawa, Japan. Following command, he graduated from The Eisenhower School at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., in 2023 and served on the Joint Staff J-7 as Division Chief and Joint Strategist for the Joint Force Development Team at the Pentagon until 2025.
In May 2025, Colonel Lemons served as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, supporting Operation Southern Spear as Task Force 48, Naval Expeditionary Forces. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff, 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
Colonel Lemons' personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V," Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with gold star in lieu of a second award, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with gold star in lieu of a fourth award, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.
His professional military education includes The Basic School, Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, Expeditionary Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, The Eisenhower School at the National Defense University, and the U.S. Army Basic Airborne Course. He holds master's degrees in Military Studies and National Resource Strategy and is a qualified Joint Terminal Attack Controller and U.S. Army parachutist.