Bernard E. Trainor (September 2, 1928 – June 2, 2018) was an American journalist and a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. He served in the Marine Corps for 39 years in both staff and command capacities. After retiring from the Marine Corps, he began working as the chief military correspondent for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. He was subsequently a military analyst for NBC. With

Michael R. Gordon Michael R. Gordon has been a national security correspondent for ''The Wall Street Journal'' since October 2017. Previously, he was a military and diplomacy correspondent for ''The New York Times'' for 32 years. During the first phase of the Iraq ...

, he was the author of three accounts of American wars in Iraq, ''The Generals War'' (1995); ''Cobra II'' (2006); and ''Endgame'' (2012).

Early life and military career

Trainor was born on September 2, 1928, in the Bronx, New York City. In 1946, Trainor enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school and served until his selection as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) in 1947. He then attended the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and was commissioned a Marine

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

upon graduation in June 1951. He then went to The Basic School in Marine Corps Base Quantico,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and after completion in December 1951, he was assigned to the

1st Battalion 1st Marines 1st Battalion 1st Marines (1/1st Marines) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton, California, consisting of anywhere from 800 to 2,000 Marines and Sailors, but the number fluctuates depending on th ...

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is the ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, where he served as an infantry platoon commander. Returning to the United States in September 1952, he served with the

8th Marines The 8th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. When last active, it was based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and fell under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expedit ...

2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina ...

, Camp Lejeune,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. In June, 1953, he was assigned duties aboard the heavy cruiser , where he served consecutively as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

and

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the ship's Marine Detachment. During this two-year tour of duty, he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. Following sea duty, Trainor was assigned to the Personnel Department at Headquarters Marine Corps until 1958. He was then assigned as an exchange officer to the British Royal Marine Commandos. After a period of training in the United Kingdom, he commanded a company in

45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of th ...

3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...

, on

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Upon completion of the exchange tour in 1959, he reported for duties with the 1st Marine Division,

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

, California, where he served consecutively as a company commander in

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

, anti-tank, and infantry battalions. In 1961 he was ordered to duties as an instructor with the NROTC unit at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

, where he would also complete a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in history. He was promoted to major in November, 1961. His next assignment returned him to Quantico, where he was a student at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. Ordered to the Republic of Vietnam in July 1965, General Trainor was assigned as an advisor to a Vietnamese special operations group. After a year in Vietnam, he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and returned to Quantico, where he served for three years as an instructor at the Command and Staff College. In 1969, Trainor attended the Air War College,

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. During his War College course he was awarded the Anderson Memorial Award for the "best paper dealing with politico-military thought" and designated a "Distinguished Graduate" upon completion of the course in June 1970. He then served another tour in the Republic of Vietnam, where he commanded the

1st Battalion 5th Marines 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors. Nicknamed ''Geronimo'', it falls under the ...

, and later the

1st Reconnaissance Battalion 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (abbreviated as 1st Recon Bn) is a reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. It is a stand-alone battalion with no parent regiment. Instead, it falls directly under the command of the 1st Marine ...

of the 1st Marine Division. Following his return to the United States in 1971, Trainor was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, where he served as a plans officer. During this tour, he was promoted to colonel on January 3, 1972. From July 1974 through June 1975, he served as Deputy Director of the 1st Marine Corps District, headquartered in New York. On July 1, 1975, he assumed duties as Director and held this post until his advancement to brigadier general in April 1976. At this time, he assumed duties as assistant depot commander,

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (often abbreviated as MCRD PI) is an military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. On April 14, 1978, he assumed the duties of deputy for education/director, education center, Marine Corps Development and Education Command, Quantico. During this tour of duty, he was promoted to major general. He was subsequently transferred to Headquarters Marine Corps in April 1981 and assigned duty as director, Plans Division, Plans, Policies and Operations Department. Upon promotion to lieutenant general on June 15, 1983, he was assigned duty as the deputy chief of staff for plans, policies and operations, Headquarters Marine Corps. He served in this capacity until his retirement on July 1, 1985.

Journalism career

General Trainor worked for ''

'' as chief military correspondent from 1986 to 1990, covering events in Central America and Africa. He then joined

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

as Director of the National Security Program from 1990 to 1996. Later, he was a Senior Fellow for National Security for the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

. During that time, Trainor appeared frequently on national news media as an expert on military and foreign affairs. He covered the invasion of Iraq for NBC and MSNBC. He and

have written three books together: '' The Generals' War'', which covers the 1991

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, ''

Cobra II ''Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq'' is a 2006 book written by Michael R. Gordon, chief military correspondent for ''The New York Times'', and Bernard E. Trainor, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, which ...

'', which covers the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

begun in 2003 and concludes with '' The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama''.

Awards and honors

Additional Awards

In addition to his military service awards, General Trainor received th
Sanctae Crucis Award for Christian Leadership
from the College of the Holy Cross in 2008. In 2013 the American Veterans Center chose him to receive th
Andrew J. Goodpaster Award
for military thought and performance. The Foreign Policy Research Institute established th
Lt. Gen. Bernard E. Trainor USMC Veterans Fellowship
in 2017. In May 2018 the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Association and the Marine Corps Gazette announced the Lt Gen Bernard E. "Mick" Trainor Military Writing Award.

Bibliography

*''The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama'' (2013) *'' Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq'' (2006) (co-written with

) *
The Generals' War: The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf
' (1995) *'' A History of the Marine Corps'' (

Rand McNally Rand McNally is an American technology and publishing company that provides mapping, software and hardware for consumer electronics, commercial transportation and education markets. The company is headquartered in Chicago, with a distribution c ...

, 1968)

References

* *
"Bernard E. Trainor, 89, General Turned Military Analyst, Is Dead"
New York Times, 6/4/2018

Washington Post, 6/6/2018

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trainor, Bernard E. 1928 births 2018 deaths Military personnel from New York City United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) The New York Times writers Harvard Kennedy School faculty College of the Holy Cross alumni University of Colorado Boulder alumni