ensure the proper functioning of our The rank of lieutenant general (or three-star general) is the second-highest rank in the Marine Corps, and the first to have a specified number of appointments set by statute. Still, while it mayhelp makeselections of lower-ranking officers more color-blind, and perhapsgivethe servicemore Blackcolonels to choose from down the line,it is unlikely to make much difference on brigadier general boards themselves:theCorps is too small and every officer on the board is likely to knowevery colonel up for consideration. Generals entered the Marine Corps via several paths: 29 via Officer Candidates School (OCS), 25 via Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at a civilian university, 10 via the United States Naval Academy (USNA), 3 via Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at a civilian university, and 7 via ROTC at a senior military college. Some have attributed this to a tendency to speak his mind, which, while often a hurdle for promotion in a culture that prizes team players, carries some ugly historical baggage when applied to a Black man. TROY E. BLACK. Alexander Vandergrift, who became Commandant in 1944, was the services first four-star. Col. Anthony Henderson, center, receiving the Legion of Merit award at Camp Pendleton in California in 2016. Entries in the following list of four-star generals are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was promoted to that rank while on active duty, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer did not serve in that rank while on active duty. Maj. Gen. Michael Langley said his decision to stick with the Marine Corps was based on trust won more than 30 years ago. One story about Colonel Henderson from that time has already become the stuff of legend among the Marines who fought beside him in Garmsir. [41] When picking a commandant in 1947, President Harry S. Truman judged Cates and Shepherd to be equally qualified. Marine Corps General Officers and Senior Enlisted Leaders. He declined to speak specifically about Colonel Henderson, 53, citing privacy and personnel concerns. Uploaded by website. A woman of color will become the first two-star Marine Corps general, marking a significant milestone in the service's history. The rest have received one or two stars, the majority in areas such as logistics and transportation and communications, specialties that, unlike combat arms, rarely lead into the most senior leadership. Recruitment of black men for the Marine Corps started on June 1, 1942, a year after the order . Notes include years of birth and death; awards of the, Enlisted in 1970; honorably discharged as sergeant, 1973; commissioned as, Stewart held the position concurrently with Army lieutenant general. On Aug. 1, the U.S. Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley's nomination, which will make him the first Black four-star general in the U.S. Marine Corps' 246 . traffic on our website. Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have Still, the Army had a Black one-star general, Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr., in 1940eighty years ago next month. Non-members can read five free Proceedings articles per month. cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, Yet the fact that one superstar Black officer has not yet been selected for a generals rank is not proof of a race problem in the Marine Corps. A lieutenant general could only receive a tombstone promotion to four-star general if he still held a three-star job on the day he retired. The commanders directly advise the defense secretary and the president. References. One of the first things Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III did after assuming the helm of the Pentagon was to order up a service-wide Stand Down to address extremism in the military. Charles F. Bolden Jr., who would go on to command two Space Shuttle missions before becoming the first African-American to lead NASA, received only two stars in the Marines. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. MAJ. Any general who actually served in a grade while on active duty receives precedence on the retirement list over any tombstone general holding the same retired grade. The person holding that billetand there have been only 20 commandants sincewas for decades the only four-star general in the Corps. See also United States admirals. Deputy Director for Combat Support, Cybersecurity Directorate. [f], The rank of lieutenant general in the Marine Corps was first proposed in 1918, when the Senate Naval Affairs Committee tried to increase the rank of the major general commandant and his three senior staff officers for the duration of World War I. Instigated by the incumbent commandant, George Barnett, the proposal was blocked by Navy secretary Josephus Daniels and House Naval Affairs Committee member Thomas S. Butler, who was outraged that the headquarters staff would gain a lieutenant general commandant and three major generals at a time when no Marine major generals were deployed in the field. As the nation reels this summer from protests challenging centuries-long perceptions of race, the Marines who have long cultivated a reputation as the United States strongest fighting force remain an institution where a handful of white men rule over 185,000 white, African-American, Hispanic and Asian men and women. May 2021. Thats an acknowledgement thatimplicit bias may well have been present. Also get The D Brief, your daily source for insights and analysis of the latest in defense news. But Colonel Henderson soon asked to move over to combat arms, a transition that Marines who know him said demonstrated that he wanted to fight with his men, bearing the risk and responsibility that accompany it. It ranks above major general (two-star general) and below general (four-star general). The incident contributed to Daniels' decision to remove Barnett midway through his second term as commandant. Lieutenant generals entered the Marine Corps via several paths: 36 via Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at a civilian university, 11 via the United States Naval Academy (USNA), nine via Officer Candidates School (OCS), and eight via NROTC at a senior military college. 1 21st century; 2 20th century; 3 19th century; 4 18th century; 21st century . They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and The Marines have long cultivated a reputation as the nations toughest fighting force, but it remains an institution where a handful of white men command 185,000 white, African-American, Hispanic and Asian men and women. SGT. For one thing, most Marines are directly led by noncommissioned officers, whose ranks are much more diverse. 1979 February 23 First African American Marine Corps General is Frank E. Petersen. The term is used in the military to refer to an issue in the past it was safety or sexual assault or suicide that the defense secretary decided was important enough that it needs to be addressed through discussions with troops worldwide. One lieutenant general commanded Marines deployed overseas under Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, and a second lieutenant general commanded Marines being readied for deployment under Marine Training and Replacement Command. [27], When Vandegrift returned to the United States to become commandant in January 1944, King rejected Holcomb's bid to maintain a three-star Marine in the Pacific theater by promoting the other amphibious corps commander, Holland M. Smith, who had led the ground forces at the Battle of Tarawa. Last year, the Navy secretary, Richard V. Spencer, even added a handwritten recommendation to Colonel Hendersons candidacy: Eminently qualified Marine we need now as BG, he wrote. The Marine Corps, which had passed over Colonel Henderson for four years, has placed him on a highly selective list of nine colonels to be granted a coveted one star that denotes general rank status brigadier general. Since the protests, senior Defense Department officials have begun an internal examination into how to increase the percentage of minority service members in its predominantly white officer corps. On multiple occasions, General Uribe also ordered her to stand next to gym equipment to reserve it for his use, sometimes making her wait up to 40 minutes. Youre one of my warriors, Colonel Henderson told him, before leaving his hospital room. [36] The exceptions were Keller E. Rockey and Robert H. Pepper, who preferred to revert to major general rather than retire at the end of their three-star assignments;[37] Thomas E. Watson, who relinquished command of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific for an assignment at Headquarters Marine Corps, but retired for ill health only three months later;[38] Merwin H. Silverthorn, who was too young to retire for age when his three-star assignment ended and Congress had suspended early retirements;[39] and Verne J. McCaul, who chose to sacrifice a fourth star to stay on active duty until the new commandant took office two months after tombstone promotions ended. web. Tyler Byther/United States Marine Corps. After more than 35 years in the US Marine Corps., Lt. Gen. Michael Langley is set to be the first Black general to achieve one of the branch's highest rankings. This may impact the If he does not make it the results will not be announced for months his acquaintances say he is likely to leave the Marines. The Air Force's Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. became the nation's first Black four . Black people make up 22.7% of enlisted soldiers, 16.5% of warrant officers and 11% of officers on active duty as of July. In the Marine Corps, all colonels are branch immaterialliterally, general officers in waiting. If such a date cannot be found, the next date substituted should be that of the officer's assumption of his/her first three-star appointment. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the But to Black Marines, the photo evokes a place where they do not belong. You When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect And even the one-, two- and three-star Marine Corps officer positions are predominantly white and male particularly the ones in the combat specialties that feed the four-star ranks. And Charles Q. It is difficult for those outside the armed services to understand the prestige that comes with becoming a four-star general or admiral. If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have In all the services, simply making colonel/captain is a signifier of elite accomplishment. Colonel Henderson declined to be interviewed for this article. Repealed statutory requirement for the director of the Missile Defense Agency, if a commissioned officer, to hold grade of lieutenant general or vice admiral. performance. Since the Army still had no lieutenant generals and Navy secretary Curtis D. Wilbur felt the commandant was not equivalent to a three-star fleet commander in the Navy, Lejeune's promotion died in committee. Of these, 56 achieved that rank while on active duty, 17 were promoted upon retirement in . Anyone can read what you share. John P. Abizaid. The best positioned three-star candidate, Merrill B. Twining, was viewed as too political by the secretary of defense, Thomas S. Gates Jr., who passed over all five lieutenant generals to recommend Shoup instead. His head was itching and he could not reach to scratch it, so Colonel Henderson did so for him. How an early promotion kept a young Black Marine on the path to become Additionally, you may contact our legal The story by theNew York Timesweaves around the case of Anthony Henderson, a star officer who began his Marine career in 1994 already holding a law degree (cum laude) and has multiple combat tours, leadership experience and the respect of those he commanded and most who commanded him. He was recently strategic advisor and military secretary to then-Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, who enthusiastically recommended him for promotion. Only 25 African-Americans have reached general in any form in the Marine Corps, and only one other Brig. In an interview published in 2018 by Herocare, a benefits organization, Colonel Henderson spoke of commanding Marines in southern Afghanistan in the most vicious fighting he said he had ever seen. There have been 69 four-star generals in the history of the United States Marine Corps. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Repealed 30-day waiting period following congressional notification before officers below grade of lieutenant general or vice admiral may wear insignia of the next higher grade. But both Black and white Marines who have worked with him say such speculation ignores one fact: Colonel Henderson, who has a law degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, La., and who has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is, in the words of Mr. Spencer, the former Navy secretary, to a 2019 promotion board, an eminently qualified Marine we need now as BG.. may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other Generals of the United States Marine Corps, Female generals of the United States Marine Corps, Assistant Commandants of the United States Marine Corps, United States Marine Corps World War I generals, United States Marine Corps World War II generals, List of active duty United States Marine Corps major generals, List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals, Commanding General, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (U.S.), Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations East (U.S.), Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:United_States_Marine_Corps_generals&oldid=951877110, Template Category TOC via CatAutoTOC on category with 601900 pages, CatAutoTOC generates standard Category TOC, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 April 2020, at 10:19. Nathan Leggs, a machine-gunner under Colonel Henderson in Garmsir. Scott C. Black Daniel P. Bolger Dana Born William G. Boykin . Colonel Henderson in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2008. March 4, 2021. Dates listed are for the officer's full tenure, which may predate promotion to four-star rank or postdate retirement from active duty. Of these, 56 achieved that rank while on active duty, 17 were promoted upon retirement in recognition of combat citations ("tombstone promotions", 1942-1959), and one was promoted posthumously. Current and former Marine Corps officials point to Colonel Hendersons personality as an explanation for why he has been passed over, including what they call his tendency to speak his mind traits that have not disqualified white Marine colonels. It is common practice in the Marine Corps to dual-hat operational commands under a single commander to remain under the statutory limit for three-star positions, and shifting them around if necessary to facilitate efficient command and control of Marine units. Gen. Charles Q. Only one killed by the enemy, said Lance Cpl. All nominees for three-star rank must be confirmed via majority by the Senate before the appointee can take office and thus assume the rank.[53]. to take that as a valid request to opt-out. The men are smiling as they hold their white Marine Corps coffee mugs. use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are Indeed, about 43 percent of the 1.3 million men and women on active duty are people of color. ET. Five-Star Generals: The 9 Men Who Earned the Highest Military Rank Sources of commission are listed in parentheses after the year of commission and include: the. List of active duty United States Marine Corps major generals Generals of the United States Marine Corps; Generals of . Colonel Hendersons nomination for promotion comes at a fraught time for the American military as a whole, and for the Marines in particular. The rank of lieutenant general (or three-star general) is the second-highest rank in the Marine Corps, and the first to have a specific number of authorized positions for it set by statute. WASHINGTON All things being equal, Col. Anthony Henderson has the military background that the Marine Corps says it prizes in a general: multiple combat tours, leadership experience and the respect of those he commanded and most who commanded him. His promotion has already led to some chatter among members of the Marine Corps that the attention generated by The Times article prompted a promotion process to finally approve his nomination. intended if you do so. Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) Major General. This list may not reflect recent changes. In The Marine Corps' First Black . Naval Institute. As the commander of the First Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment, Colonel Henderson sought to overrun a Taliban stronghold in the Garmsir District. When Oliver P. Smith was abruptly ordered to relinquish his three-star command on 1 September 1955, and revert to major general for the two months until his statutory retirement, he moved up his retirement date to September 1 and kept his tombstone promotion to general. General Officer Announcements > U.S. Department of Defense > Release Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. technologies for the following purposes: We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to VMF-214, Black Sheep Squadron", "WWII vet who was youngest Medal of Honor winner dies", "Sgt. The U.S. Code states that no more than 17 officers in the U.S. Marine Corps may be promoted beyond the rank of major general and below the rank of general on the active duty list. Still, while a single anecdote can be dismissed, the overall data is worrisome. If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a Deputy Director for Current and Integrated Operations (J-3), Director, Expeditionary Warfare (N95), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 04:40. WASHINGTON The Marine Corps is promoting Col. Anthony Henderson, a combat-tested Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, to brigadier general, a move that cracks the doorway for the service to potentially promote an African-American to its most senior ranks. Tonys got an incredible record he should be a general officer, said Paul J. Kennedy, a retired major general who led the Marine Corps Recruiting Command. Current and former Marines pointed to Colonel Hendersons tendency to speak his mind as an explanation for why he was passed over in the past, but those are traits that have not disqualified white Marine colonels. This is well overdue.. Commandants of the Marine Corps page for Notable Graduates at USNA.edu. While promotion through captain is essentially automatic, fewer than 70 percent of Marine captains make major; fewer than sixty percent of majors make lieutenant colonel; and fewer than 40 percent of lieutenant colonels make full colonel. Out of 82 Marine generals overall today, there are six African-American brigadier generals and one African-American major general. The Office of the Commandant was permanently fixed at the grade of four-star general under authority of the Act of August 7, 1947. Aside from exemplary performance as an Infantry officer through his long career, with a desirable mix of fleet and broadening assignments, he has excelled in the classroom, participating in prestigious programs at MIT and Harvard in addition to staff and war college. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. Preferences menu of your browser. Lieutenant generals entered the Marine Corps via several paths: 36 via Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at a civilian . PDF African Americans in the United States Marine Corps Timeline 1776 April Of the five lieutenant generals who retired at Shoup's accession, at least two, Verne J. McCaul and Robert E. Hogaboom, only did so after he made clear they would not be continued at that rank. Two months later, he woke up in his bed in the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington, and saw Colonel Henderson, alone, standing over him. . see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Once he was within sight of his first star, Marine officials started saying that Colonel Henderson was difficult to work with. Only 25 African-Americans in the Marines have reached general in any form. Help us tailor content specifically for you: Get all our news and commentary in your inbox at 6 a.m. Naval Institute. Marine Corps General Officers and Senior Enlisted Leaders, CNO Naval History - Midshipmen and Cadets, CNO Naval History - Professional Historian. From 1938 to 1959, Marine officers who were specially commended for the performance of duty in actual combat before the end of World War II could retire with the rank but not the pay of the next higher grade. This is a list of lieutenant generals in the United States Marine Corps since 2010. Activism That Led to the First Black Marines - History Posthumously promoted to general by Act of Congress, Jun 1947, with date of rank 23 Jan 1947. These include commanders of high-level Marine Corps commands, such as the marine expeditionary forces and Marine service component commands. List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals, Dates of rank are taken, where available, from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps register of active and retired commissioned officers, or from the. Six African-Americans reached lieutenant general, or three stars. But in explaining the absence of anyone but white men in the top positions, Marine officials often first cite the small number of African-American Marines who go into combat arms, the area from which all but one four-star general have risen. LAWRENCE: The Marine Corps command lags behind even other military branches in diversity. The number of years of active-duty service at three-star rank is approximated by subtracting the year in the "Date of rank" column from the last year in the "Position" column. Personal Information. Each entry lists the general's name, date of rank,[1] active-duty positions held while serving at four-star rank,[2] number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank (Yrs),[3] year commissioned and source of commission,[4] number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank (YC),[5] and other biographical notes.[6]. The Act of Congress of March 4, 1925, allowed officers in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard to be promoted one grade upon retirement if they had been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat. Related Articles. This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and You've read 1 out of 5 free articles of Proceedings this month. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal But some also expressed anger that the pace of advancement for Black officers in the Corps has been so slow. The Montford Point Marine Association (MPMA) is a nonprofit military veterans' organization, founded to memorialize the legacy of the first African Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps.The first African American U.S. Marines were trained at Camp Montford Point, in Jacksonville, North Carolina, from 1941 to 1949.. These cookies collect information for analytics and to Tony doesnt do that, Mr. Hobbs said. [49] Shepherd picked Thomas to succeed Cates, which simultaneously avoided creating another rival for the commandancy, since Thomas was too old to be considered, and freed Thomas' three-star job of assistant commandant and chief of staff for Shepherd's preferred candidate, Randolph M. Pate, who eventually did succeed Shepherd. [Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011], [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017], [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020]. Black officers areunderrepresented in those specialties. It ranks above lieutenant general (three-star general). The Marine Corps actually has given this a great deal of thought because we have struggled with the issue of diversity, said Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., one of three four-star Marine generals serving today. We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to The African-American Marines said they were happy for Colonel Williamson, whose background is communications, but added that they were ecstatic for Colonel Henderson because he comes from the combat arms background that can lead to four stars. Smith finally received his third star two years later, after he was too old to be considered for commandant. Further, because the Marines eschew early promotions of its best officers, the average brigadier general pins on his first star with 28 years of servicelater than in any other service and fully two years slower than the Air Force. And yet, Henderson has not yet made brigadier general in three tries. Notes include years of birth and death; awards of the. At one point, Colonel Henderson challenged the entire battalion to a fight after a hazing episode in the barracks rippled through the ranks. His plan of attack kept us alive throughout all of those battles.. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Tony Henderson has the potential to be the commandant of the Marine Corps, said retired Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Bailey, the first Black man to command the First Marine Division, from 2011 to 2013. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy (J-5). List of active duty United States Marine Corps major generals, U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command, Program Executive Officer for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Mission Programs, List of active duty United States four-star officers, List of active duty United States three-star officers, List of active duty United States Army major generals, List of active duty United States rear admirals, List of active duty United States Air Force major generals, List of active duty United States Space Force general officers, List of active duty United States senior enlisted leaders and advisors, List of current United States National Guard major generals, List of United States Army four-star generals, List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals, List of United States Navy four-star admirals, List of United States Air Force four-star generals, List of United States Coast Guard four-star admirals, "Marine Corps General Officers and Senior Enlisted Leaders", "PN2799 Marine Corps, 117th Congress (2021-2022)", "PN1429 Marine Corps, 117th Congress (2021-2022)", "Marine Aviator Major General James H. Adams Is Armed Forces Day Keynote Speaker; Parade Includes 9-School Mass Band, ROTC Units", "Maj. Gen Salene Promotion [Image 4 of 4]", "J5 Strategic Planning and Policy Directorate", "Michael J. Borgschulte - Manpower Management, M&RA, Headquarters Marine Corps", "RESERVE AFFAIRS DIVISION (RA) REORGANIZATION", "FISCAL YEAR 2023 BILLET ASSIGNMENTS FOR RESERVE SERGEANTS MAJOR AND FIRST SERGEANTS FOR INITIAL AND SUBSEQUENT TOURS", "Marine Corps General Officers and Senior Enlisted Leaders, May 2021", "Commanding General, MAGTF Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center", "Maj. Gen. Austin 'Sparky' Renforth, Wheeling Native, To Retire", "Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations Pacific", "Yesterday, I changed command of the Joint Forces Staff College", "Commanding General, Marine Corps Logistics Command", "Marine Corps Information Command to be activated in FY23, commanded by the service's cyber and space leader", "Marine Corps Forces Space Command is here", "Leadership - Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command", "Major General King Assumes Command of Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa", "MARSOC bids farewell to Maj. Gen. James F. Glynn", "Commanding General, Third Marine Aircraft Wing", "Cherry Point to hold change of command ceremony for major general Thursday", "Commanding General - Major General Eric E. Austin", "Program Executive Office Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault & Special Mission", Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_active_duty_United_States_Marine_Corps_major_generals&oldid=1149740743, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0.