Alfred M. Gray Jr.: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Bahamut0013 (talk | contribs)
Line 116: Line 116:
|}
|}


== Post Marine Corp career==
== Post Marine Corps career==
Gray serves on the Board of Directors of a number of companies, including:<ref name=ForbesProfile/>
Gray serves on the Board of Directors of a number of companies, including:<ref name=ForbesProfile/>
* [[American Defense Systems, Inc.]] (since January 2008)
* [[American Defense Systems, Inc.]] (since January 2008)

Revision as of 08:31, 2 April 2009

Alfred M. Gray, Jr.
29th Commandant of the Marine Corps (1987-1991)
AllegianceUnited States United States of America
Service/branchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1950-1991
RankGeneral
Commands held1st Battalion 2nd Marines
2nd Marine Regiment
4th Marine Regiment
33d Marine Amphibious Unit
2nd Marine Division
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Marine Forces Atlantic
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/warsKorean War
Vietnam War
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Purple Heart

Alfred M. Gray, Jr. (born June 22, 1928), is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the twenty-ninth Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1987-91. He retired from the Corps in 1991 after 41 years of service.

Personal

Alfred M. Gray, Jr. was born on June 22, 1928 to Emily and Alfred Mason Gray and was raised in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey.

He studied at Lafayette College, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from State University of New York. He has honorary degrees from Lafayette College, Monmouth University, Norwich University, the National Defense Intelligence College, and Franklin University.[1]

He married the former Jan Goss of Burlington, Vermont on July 20, 1980.[2][3]

He enjoys hunting, fishing, and reading.

Marine Corps service

Gray enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1950. He served overseas with Fleet Marine Force (FMF), Pacific, attaining the rank of sergeant before being commissioned a second lieutenant in April 1952. His early tours included service with 11th Marines and 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in Korea, the 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., during which he saw service in Guantanamo Bay and Vietnam.[4]

As a major, Gray joined the 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam in October 1965, serving concurrently as regimental communications officer, regimental training officer, and artillery aerial observer. He took command of the Composite Artillery Battalion and U.S. Free World Forces at Gio Linh in April 1967. In September 1967, Gray was reassigned to the III Marine Amphibious Force in Da Nang where he commanded the 1st Radio Battalion elements throughout I Corps until February 1968. Following a brief tour in the United States, he returned to Vietnam from June to September 1969 in conjunction with surveillance and reconnaissance matters in the I Corps area.

After his Vietnam tour, Gray served as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, Battalion Landing Team 1/2; the 2nd Marine Regiment; the 4th Marine Regiment; and Camp Commander of Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. While commanding the 33rd Marine Amphibious Unit and Regimental Landing Team-4, and concurrently serving as Deputy Commander, 9th Marines Amphibious Brigade, Gray directed the Southeast Asia evacuation operations in 1975.

Advanced to brigadier general in March 1976, General Gray served as Commanding General, Landing Force Training Command, Atlantic, and the 4th Marine Amphibious Brigade. Promoted to major general in February 1980, he assumed command of the 2nd Marine Division, FMF, Atlantic, Camp Lejueune, N.C., in June 1981. Following his promotion to lieutenant general on August 29, 1984, he was reassigned as Commanding General, FMF, Atlantic/Commanding General, II MEF, and Commanding General, FMF, Europe.

General Gray was promoted to general and became Commandant of the Marine Corps on July 1, 1987. His appointment as Commandant of the Marine Corps was recommended by Jim Webb, then Secretary of the Navy.[5]

Television Appearances

Gen Gray appeared on the Birthday Ball episode of Major Dad, a second season episode that celebrated the 215th birthday of the Marine Corps. He appeared as himself.

Namesake

The Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia is the home of the Alfred M. Gray Research Center. The center houses the Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections, the Quantico Base Library, and the research library for the Marine Corps University, as well a conference center. General Gray routinely stops by to donate his recently read books.[citation needed]

Awards and decorations

a partial list of General Gray’s personal decorations and awards include, but are not limited to:

V
Gold star
V
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit w/ valor device & 1 award star Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Bronze Star w/ valor device & 3 award stars Purple Heart w/ 1 award star Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Combat Action Ribbon w/ 1 award star

Post Marine Corps career

Gray serves on the Board of Directors of a number of companies, including:[1]

Memberships

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

  1. ^ a b c d e "Profile: Alfred M. Gray, USMC". forbes.com. 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  2. ^ "Alfred M. Gray". Marquis Who's Who (fee required for BRC). Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008. 2008. Document Number: K2016616305. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  3. ^ "Nomination of Lieutenant General Alfred M. Gray, Jr., To Be Commandant of the Marine Corps". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. June 16, 1987. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  4. ^ "General Alfred M. Gray, Jr., USMC". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2006-09-16. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  5. ^ Cushman, John H., Jr. (June 5, 1987). "Activist General in Line for Top Marine Post". New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "General Alfred M. Gray, (Retired USMC)". American Public University System. 2007-05-08. Retrieved 2008-10-26.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
1987–1991
Succeeded by

Template:Persondata