Major William “Tantrum” Sweetman is a native of Virginia and Texas. After graduating high school in 2008, he attended the United States Naval Academy, where he played varsity soccer and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
William Sweetman was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on May 29, 2012. He reported to The Basic School in July 2012, graduating in January 2013. He commenced flight training at Naval Flight School in February 2013 and was designated a Naval Aviator in May 2015.
Following winging, First Lieutenant Sweetman reported to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 (HMLAT-303) for initial AH-1W Super Cobra training. Upon completion in February 2016, he reported to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367 (HMLA-367) "Scarface" aboard Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Following his promotion to Captain in early 2017, he deployed with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (Reinforced) to Darwin, Australia, as part of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin. During this deployment, he served as the Ordnance and Flight Equipment Officer in Charge (OIC). Upon returning, he served as the Airframes Division OIC until transitioning to the AH-1Z at HMLAT-303 in the spring of 2018.
Captain Sweetman was subsequently selected to serve as a company Forward Air Controller with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines on Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, HI. During this ground tour, he completed Tactical Air Control Party school, a comprehensive pre-deployment training cycle, and a Unit Deployment Program deployment to Okinawa, Japan, from the summer to winter of 2020. During this period, he served as the senior Joint Terminal Attack Controller Instructor and led the planning and execution of four bilateral training operations with the Japanese Defense Force.
In 2021, Captain Sweetman executed orders back to HMLA-367. He served as the Quality Assurance Officer, managing a complete maintenance department inspection cycle, and attained designation as a Night System Instructor.
In the summer of 2022, Captain Sweetman reported to Marine Special Operations Company Golf (MSOC-G), 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, as the Air/Fires Officer. Following his promotion to Major, he entered a full work-up cycle completing Collateral Damage Estimation Certification and the SkyRaider small Unmanned Aircraft System course.
From July 2023 through January 2024, MSOC-G deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. During this deployment, Major Sweetman controlled allied fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft for over five hundred combat hours in support of strategic objectives and partner-force operations. Additionally, he served as the lead allied training advisor to northern Iraqi special forces. Upon redeployment, he served as the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion Air Officer before receiving orders to Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) in the summer of 2024.
From August 2024 through September 2025, Major Sweetman served as the Future Operations and Assistant Operations Officer at MAG-29 Headquarters. He then joined HMLA-269 “Gunrunners” as the Aircraft Maintenance Officer. In this capacity, he directed the squadron’s first complete maintenance inspection cycle, supervised the modification of squadron aircraft to Digitally Operable Link-16 configurations, and executed three deployments for training events.
In June of 2026, Major Sweetman assumed his current duties as the Executive Officer of HMLA-269. His personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal with Combat “C” Device, the Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Medal with Gold Star, and the Combat Action Ribbon.