The man who served as sergeant major of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, at the beginning of the war in Iraq, has been charged with sexual abuse, molestation of a child and sexual conduct with a minor in Yuma, Ariz.

John Joseph Sixta, 54, was arrested July 1 and remains in custody in Yuma, officials said. Sixta is facing similar charges in Riverside, Calif., the Yuma Sun reported.

Sixta was portrayed as an over-the-top stickler for grooming standards in the HBO miniseries “Generation Kill,” insisting that Marines tuck in their shirts and shave their mustaches.

After retiring from the Marine Corps, Sixta worked as a military free fall instructor for the Army’s B Company, 1st Special Warfare Training Group at Yuma Proving Ground.

Yuma police said Sixta is accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl in early January. The girl reported the incident to her mother, who called the police.

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