Following that he was assigned for a year to the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa, Japan.[3][4]
From 1979 to 1982 he was part of the 2nd Recruit Training Battalion at Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon his promotion to captain he assumed command of Company D, Recruit Training Regiment.[3]
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and served as the operations officer of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) from 1993 to 1995. Following that he was assigned to the staff of the commander of the United States Sixth Fleet in Gaeta, Italy. He returned to the 2nd Marine Division in 1997 when he assumed command of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines.[3]
In May 2007 Brigadier General Mills became commander of the 1st Marine Division[3] and spent most of the next two years in Iraq.[4]
He was promoted to major general in late 2007 and from October 2007 to January 2009 served in a dual role as assistant division commander, 1st Marine Division and commander, Ground Combat Element, Multi-national Forces – West in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Upon his return from Iraq, Major General Mills continued as assistant division commander until July 2009, when he resumed command of the 1st Marine Division.[3]
LtGen Mills at the Navy's birthday celebration ceremony at Marine Corps Support Facility New Orleans, Oct. 15, 2014.
In December 2009 Major General Mills was selected to command the I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), deployed to Afghanistan in April 2010, and assumed command of all Marine combat units in the country.[3] As part of a restructuring of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, Regional Command South (commanded by British Major General Nick Carter) was split into two commands.[5] Carter remained in charge of Kandahar and Mills became the commander of the newly formed Regional Command Southwest and took under command 8,000 of the 9,500 British troops in Afghanistan,[6] as well as 20,000 U.S. Marines in Helmand Province.[4]
In Afghanistan, He made clear that his objective involved more than just victory on the battlefield. On the importance of training Afghan forces to succeed, he has been quoted as saying "We will be here with them as we develop the Afghan security forces to eventually take over our role, so we can leave," On the importance of not leaving Afghanistan until the country is ready, he has also been reported as saying the Afghans "have been very, very concerned we may leave them prematurely."[7]
After his return from Afghanistan, Mills was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in July 2011 and replaced Lieutenant General George Flynn as deputy commandant for combat development and integration and commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Virginia.[8]
In August 2013, LtGen Mills assumed command of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North, and served in this capacity until his retirement on October 1, 2015, after 40 years of active service.[9] He currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Marine Corps University Foundation.[10]
Lieutenant General Mills has a reputation for having a good sense of humor and being open to subordinates, officers have told reporters. Junior officers are "not afraid to approach him".[4]
Charles Chandler Krulak is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1999. He is the son of Lieutenant General Victor H. "Brute" Krulak, who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He was the 13th President of Birmingham-Southern College after his stint as a non-executive director of English association football club Aston Villa.
Carol A. Mutter is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general. She is one of the first women in the history of the United States Armed Forces to be appointed to a three-star grade, the first in the Marine Corps. She retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 1999. Her last active duty assignment was as Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower and Reserve Affairs at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
2nd Battalion, 6th Marines (2/6) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also known as "The Ready Battalion" or "2/6 Spartans", it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and falls under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division.
General Walter Eugene Boomer is a retired four-star general and assistant commandant of the United States Marine Corps and business executive. Boomer led all Marines in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the Gulf War. He was later the chairman and CEO of Rogers Corporation and retired in 2004. He is the current lead director of Baxter International. Boomer is a 1960 graduate of Duke University and later earned a master's degree from American University.
Richard F. Natonski is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general whose last assignment was as the Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command. He assumed the post in August 2008, having previously served as the United States Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations from 2006. He retired at Marine Barracks 8th & I on 8 September 2010.
Charles Elliott Wilhelm is a decorated retired United States Marine Corps General who served two combat tours of duty in Vietnam. He later served as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division; as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; and as the Commander, U.S. Southern Command (1997–2000). General Wilhelm retired from the Marine Corps in 2000, after 37 years of service.
Cornell A. Wilson Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps major general, who served as Director, Reserve Affairs Division, Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, in Quantico, Virginia.
Samuel Jaskilka was a U.S. Marine four-star general whose last assignment was Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (1975–1978). General Jaskilka was a highly decorated veteran of the Korean War, having led the landing at Inchon as a company commander with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1978 after 36 years of service.
Kenneth McLennan was a decorated U.S. Marine General. He is most noted for his service as the Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corps from 1979 to 1981. In recognition of his distinguished service as Assistant Commandant and Chief of Staff, he was presented the Distinguished Service Medal by the Commandant of the Marine Corps upon his retirement on July 1, 1981.
Edwin Allen Pollock was a United States Marine Corps General and a highly decorated combat veteran of World War II and Korea; he commanded both the 1st and 2d Marine Divisions and is the only man to have served as commanding general of both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet Marine Force. He had been advanced to the rank of general upon retirement by reason of having been specially commended in combat.
Richard Irving "Butch" Neal was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC) from 1996 to 1998.
General Vernon Edgar Megee was a United States Marine Corps general. He is recognized as a pioneer in the development of close air support for ground combat operations. He served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1956 to 1957; with his final billet from 1957 to 1959 as commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. When he retired from the Marine Corps, after 40 years of active duty service, he received a promotion to 4-star rank.
Robert B. Johnston was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general whose last duty assignment was as Commander, Marine Forces Atlantic, Marine Forces Europe and II Marine Expeditionary Force. During the Gulf War, he served as the CENTCOM Chief-of-Staff. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1995 after over 34 years of service.
Major General Wayne Evan Rollings, USMC, was Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force, III Marine Expeditionary Force and a recipient of the Navy Cross.
Eric M. Smith is a United States Marine Corps general who has served as the 39th commandant of the Marine Corps since 22 September 2023. He served as acting commandant of the Marine Corps between 10 July 2023 and 22 September 2023 while awaiting Senate confirmation. Before nomination to the position he served as the 36th assistant commandant of the Marine Corps and before that as the deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration, being succeeded by Karsten Heckl.
William Robert Collins was a highly decorated officer of United States Marine Corps with the rank of major general. As lieutenant colonel, Collins distinguished himself as Tank Battalion Commander during Iwo Jima battle, but he is most noted for his service as commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force at the beginning of Vietnam War.
Ormond Ralph Simpson was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general, who held a number of important assignments throughout his career. He is most noted as commanding general of 1st Marine Division during Vietnam War and later as director of personnel and deputy chief of staff for manpower at Headquarters Marine Corps.
George William Smith Jr. is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who last served as commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force from September 2021 to August 2023. He most recently served as the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations until August 2021. He previously served as Senior Military Assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense, a position for which he was nominated by James Mattis in September 2018. He was commissioned in 1985 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, through a Naval ROTC program. He is the son of George W. Smith, who was a major general in the Marine Corps.
Carl Epting Mundy III is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps, who last served as commander of the United States Marine Forces Central Command. He previously served as commander of the United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command. He is the son of Carl Epting Mundy Jr., who was a Marine Corps general and Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Paul W. Brier is a retired United States Marine Corps major general. A combat veteran of the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars, he retired on 31 December 2016, completing 36 years of military service. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. A 2012 CAPSTONE Fellow at the National Defense University, he is a graduate of the Defense Resources Management Institute, Naval Postgraduate School; Air War College; Joint Forces Staff College; and Marine Corps Command and Staff College.
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States of America 
United States Marine Corps 
Lieutenant general 
Marine Corps Combat Development Command 
Regional Command Southwest / 
Multi-National Force - West (Iraq) 
1st Marine Division 
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit 
3rd Battalion, 6th Marines 
