Dan K. McNeill

General Dan K. McNeill

Dan K. McNeill (born July 23, 1946 in Warsaw , North Carolina ) is a former general in the US Army and was commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from February 2007 to June 2008 . From July 2000 to August 2003 he was Commanding General of the XVIII. U.S. Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg and during this deployment was also the commander of Combined Joint Task Force 180 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Military career

Training and first uses

McNeill graduated from North Carolina State University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry and received his officer license and promotion to second lieutenant on November 3, 1968 as a ROTC student . After completing basic infantry officer training, McNeill served as a protocol officer at the US Army John F. Kennedy Center for Military Assistance in Fort Bragg , North Carolina , from July 1968 to April 1970 , and in that capacity also in the Vietnam War .

On November 3, 1969, he was then promoted to First Lieutenant . From May 1970 to January 1971, he graduated from the US Army Aviation School at Fort Stewart , Georgia , and later at Fort Rucker , Alabama . During this employment he was promoted to captain on November 3, 1970 and served from February 1971 to January 1972 as a senior assistant to the commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley , Kansas . Then followed a foreign assignment in South Korea , where he served from January 1972 to May 1973 as a pilot, assistive operations officer ( S-3 ) and finally as operations officer of the 55th Fliegerkompanie , 52 US airmen Battalion of the 8th US Army . When he was back in the United States , he completed advanced training for infantry officers from May 1973 to April 1974 at the US Army Infantry School at Fort Benning , Georgia.

Service at Fort Bragg, teaching and staff training

After training, he served from May to December 1974 as assistive operations officer (S-3) for air operations in the 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina . In December 1974 he took over as company commander of the battalion's combat support company and served in this position until April 1976. From April, until August 1977, McNeill was first used as an assistant and later as the actual operations officer (S-3) of the 3rd Brigade of the Division . He then took over command of the E Company of the 2nd Battalion, 505th US Infantry Regiment of the division, for one year until August 1978. From August 1978 to June 1980, McNeill was then a senior lecturer in military science at the Georgia Military College in Milledgeville , Georgia, and was promoted to major in that position on July 5, 1979 . Then after that he completed by June 1981, the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth , Kansas, and then worked as a writer for doctrine in the tactics department of the college .

Staff assignments and commands

Dan K. McNeill in Kabul , 2003.

McNeill at Fort Hood , 2005.

From June 1982 to July 1984, McNeill served as first officer of 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, later regrouped to 4th Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment in Vicenza , Italy . He then served for a year as Secretary of the General Staff of the US Army Southern European Task Force in Vicenza, after which he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on June 1, 1985 and in July as first officer of the support company of the 82nd Airborne Division again a troop command to take over. In May 1986, McNeill took command of the 1st Battalion of the 325th US Infantry Regiment until June 1988. From August 1988 to June 1989 he finally graduated from the US Army War College in the Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania . He then served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (G-3) of the 82nd Airborne Division until August 1991 and was promoted to Colonel on March 1, 1991 . In this assignment he served during Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Shield / Storm in Saudi Arabia . From August 1991 to July 1993 he took command of the 3rd Brigade of the division in Fort Bragg. Then McNeill was until March 1995 as assistant chief of staff for operations (G-3) in the staff of the superior XVIII. US Airborne Corps deployed. In September 1995 he was promoted to Brigadier General and served since March of the same year as assistant division commander of the 2nd US Infantry Division of the 8th US Army in South Korea. In June 1996 McNeill returned to the United States and took over the post of Chief of Staff of the XVIII at Fort Bragg. US Airborne Corps and then in August 1997 the post of Deputy Commanding General of the 1st US Corps in Fort Lewis , Washington . On October 1, 1998, he was promoted to major general and since July served as commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division.

On July 20, 2000, McNeill was promoted to Lieutenant General and took command of the XVIII until August 2003 . US Airborne Corps and was during this deployment from May 2002 to May 2003 also commander of Combined Joint Task Force 180 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In September 2003 he then took over the post of Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff of the US Army Forces Command in Fort McPherson , Georgia until May 2004 . On May 7, 2004 he took over command of the US Army Forces Command and was finally promoted to general in July .

On September 20, 2006, McNeill was nominated for the post of commander of the ISAF in Afghanistan. This was confirmed by the US Senate on September 29, 2006. He replaced the previous commanding officer, British Lieutenant General David J. Richards , on February 4, 2007. He handed over command of the US Army Forces Command to General Charles C. Campbell on January 9, 2007 . After 16 months, he handed over command of ISAF to General David D. McKiernan and retired.