George Joseph Trautman III is a retired

U.S. Marine 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 com ...

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 ...

served as the

Deputy Commandant for Aviation The Deputy Commandant for Aviation (DCA) is the United States Marine Corps, United States Marine Corps' principle advisor on all aviation matters and is the spokesperson for United States Marine Corps Aviation, Marine Corps Aviation programs, r ...

of the

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 ...

from 2007 to 2011. He retired from active duty military service on March 31, 2011.

Military career

After graduating from

The Basic School The Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed (for warrant officers) United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an "Officer of Marines". The Basic School is located at Camp Barrett, Quantico, Vir ...

, Trautman entered flight training and was subsequently designated a

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

in April 1976. He completed initial aircrew training at

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...

and was then transferred to 1st Marine Brigade, MCAS Kaneohe, Hawaii. While with the Brigade he completed two Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) deployments to the Western Pacific and Southwest Asia. Reassigned to

in 1980, Lieutenant General Trautman served with various Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadrons and the 11th MAU as they began training for the initial sourcing of Western Pacific deployments from

I Marine Expeditionary Force The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is ...

. From 1984 through 1987, Trautman served as an instructor with Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One. He then attended the College of Naval Command and Staff followed by assignment as the Assistant Operations Officer aboard USS ''Okinawa''. From 1990 through 1993, Trautman served first as Executive Officer, then as Commanding Officer of

HMLA-169 Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 (HMLA-169) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Huey utility helicopters. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pe ...

. His squadron deployed with 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade to Southwest Asia in support of

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. After spending the next year at the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in ec ...

, he was assigned to the Joint Staff, Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment Directorate (J-8). From 1997 through 1999, Trautman served as Commanding Officer,

Marine Aircraft Group 36 Marine Aircraft Group 36 (MAG-36) is an active air group of the United States Marine Corps, tasked with providing assault support aircraft. It is currently part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW), itself an integral part of the III Marine ...

(MAG 36). He next served as Branch Head, Aviation Weapon Systems Requirements Branch, Department of Aviation, Headquarters Marine Corps. In July 2000, Trautman was assigned to serve as the

Assistant Wing Commander. In June 2001, he also served as the Commander, Combined Joint Task Force Kuwait. From November 2001 through March 2002, he assumed duties as the Deputy Commanding General,

and Commanding General, 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade. From June 2002 until August 2004, Trautman served as Deputy Director, Plans and Policy (J-5), U. S. Central Command while forward deployed at various locations in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

and

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{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 ...

From August 2004 through June 2005, Trautman served as the Commanding General,

Marine Corps Base Hawaii Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), formerly Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay and originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, is a U.S. Marine Corps facility and air station located on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward O'ahu in the City & County ...

; Deputy Commander, U. S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific; and Deputy Commanding General,

III Marine Expeditionary Force III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and ...

Hawaii. On June 10, 2005, Lieutenant General Trautman assumed command of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. On June 8, 2007, Trautman was promoted to Lieutenant General and ordered to Headquarters Marine Corps to serve as Deputy Commandant for Aviation.

Personal decorations

Lieutenant General Trautman's personal decorations include: Trautman received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Penn State Board of Trustees in 2009.

Education

Lieutenant General Trautman earned a B.S. in Biology in 1974 from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

where he was a member of the

Sigma Tau Gamma Sigma Tau Gamma (), commonly known as Sig Tau, is a United States college social fraternity founded on June 28, 1920, at the University of Central Missouri (then known as Central Missouri State Teachers College). The fraternity was founded as a re ...

fraternity. He earned three master's degrees — an M.S. in Systems Management from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, an M.A. in International Relations from

Salve Regina University Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls mo ...

, and an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

. He is also a graduate of the

Armed Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...

and was a Fellow in residence at the

Personal

Trautman married Zoe Ann Yoder of

Towanda, Pennsylvania Towanda is a borough and the county seat of Bradford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located northwest of Wilkes-Barre, on the Susquehanna River. The name means "burial ground" in the Algon ...

on September 11, 1976.

References

Official Biography for Lieutenant General George J. Trautman III
United States Marine Corps. accessed 16 July 2007

Headquarters, United States Marine Corps. Accessed 2009-03-04

External links

Official website of the U.S. Marine Corps
:''This article contains text/images from th
USMC website
which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Trautman, George J. Iii 1952 births Living people Eberly College of Science alumni United States Naval Aviators Recipients of the Air Medal University of Southern California alumni Salve Regina University alumni Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Marine Corps generals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Recipients of the Humanitarian Service Medal