John M. Paxton Jr. (born June 25, 1951) is a retired
United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 33rd
Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.
[Marine Gen. John Paxton, assistant commandant, retires after 42 years in uniform](_blank)
By Jeff Schogol, '' Marine Corps Times'' August 4, 2016 He previously served as the Commanding General of
United States Marine Corps Forces Command; Commanding General,
Fleet Marine Force Atlantic
Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT) is an American maritime landing force that is spread across the Atlantic Ocean. It is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk and directs and commands all the subordinate elements of the Navy Expeditiona ...
; Commander,
United States Marine Corps Forces, Europe, as well as
II Marine Expeditionary Force
The II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force consisting of ground, air and logistics forces capable of projecting offensive combat power ashore while sustaining itself in combat without external assistance for a ...
.
Paxton retired on August 4, 2016, after 42 years of service.
Previously, Paxton was Director, J3 - Operations, The Joint Staff and Chief of Staff, Multinational Forces-Iraq. U.S. Defense Secretary
Robert M. Gates announced on March 13, 2008, Paxton's nomination for appointment to the rank of
lieutenant general, and for assignment as Director, Strategic Plans & Policy, J-5, The Joint Staff. On May 22, 2007, Paxton relinquished command of the 1st Marine Division to take the role of Chief of Staff for Multi-National Force-Iraq.
Early life and education
Born in
Chester, Pennsylvania on June 25, 1951, Paxton attended
Cornell University in
Ithaca, New York, earning both a
bachelor's degree and a
master's degree in
Civil Engineering. He was elected to the
Sphinx Head Society
The Sphinx Head Society is the oldest senior honor society at Cornell University. Sphinx Head recognizes Cornell senior men and women who have demonstrated respectable strength of character on top of a dedication to leadership and service at Corn ...
during his senior year. Moreover, he was a member of
Delta Upsilon fraternity throughout his undergraduate years at Cornell. Upon completion of
Officer Candidates School, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the
United States Marine Corps in 1974.
In addition to The Basic School, Paxton's professional education includes United States Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School (non-resident), United States Army Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College. From 1994 to 1995 Paxton was a Federal Executive Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution. He has also been a Marine Corps Fellow at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Seminar XXI.
Military career
Upon completion of
The Basic School, Paxton was ordered to Airborne School at
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...
,
Georgia and then assigned as a Rifle Platoon Commander in Bravo Company,
1st Battalion, 3rd Marines
1st Battalion, 3rd Marines (1/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Nicknamed the "Lava Dogs", the battalion consists of approximately 800 Marines and sailors and falls under the comm ...
, 1st Marine Brigade,
Kaneohe, Hawaii
Kāneohe () is a census-designated place (CDP) included in the City and County of Honolulu and located in Hawaii state District of Koolaupoko on the island of Oahu. In the Hawaiian language, ''kāne ohe'' means "bamboo man". According to an an ...
.
Paxton served twice with the
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 ...
(
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5, nicknamed Dark Horse) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and consists of approximately 1,000 Marines and Fleet Marine ...
and
1st Marines
The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st ...
), once with the
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 ...
(
1st Battalion, 8th Marines
1st Battalion, 8th Marines (1/8) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The battalion consists of approximately 1000 Marines and sailors and is nicknamed "The Beiru ...
), and twice with the
3rd Marine Division
The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with th ...
(
1st Battalion, 3rd Marines
1st Battalion, 3rd Marines (1/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Nicknamed the "Lava Dogs", the battalion consists of approximately 800 Marines and sailors and falls under the comm ...
and
2nd Battalion, 4th Marines
2nd Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4th Marines) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. The battalion, nicknamed the ''Magnificent Bastards'' from the Vietnam War, is based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and ...
), commanding at the platoon, company, battalion and regimental levels. He commanded Battalion Landing Team 1/8 from April 1992 to June 1994. They deployed with
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. They are currently based out of M ...
Special Operations Capable and Battle Group as Landing Force 6th Fleet (LF6F 2-93) and Joint Adaptive Task Force 93-2 in support of operations in
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...
, and later as United Nations Quick Reaction Force (QRF) in
Mogadishu, Somalia.
In addition to command, Paxton also served in Operations, Plans and Training (G3/S3) at the battalion, regiment, division (1st and 2nd Marine Divisions) and Marine Expeditionary Force (
II-MEF) levels. Non-Fleet Marine Force tours included Commanding Officer Company B,
Marine Barracks, 8th & I,
Washington, D.C. (1980–81); Commanding Officer Marine Corps Recruiting Station New York, New York (1985–88); Strategic Plans Branch (PLS), Plans, Policies and Operations (PP&O) Department, Headquarters United States Marine Corps; and as Executive Assistant and Marine Corps Aide to the Under Secretary of the Navy (1996–97). Paxton is a Joint Service Officer, having served at United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command in South Korea from 1989 to 1991 as Amphibious Operations Officer and Executive Officer, Crisis Action Team.
From June 1997 to June 1998, Paxton was the Assistant Chief of Staff G3 (Operations, Plans and Training). His next assignment, from June 1998 to June 2000, was commanding officer of
1st Marine Regiment
The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st ...
. From 2000 to 2001, Paxton had a one-year tour as the United States Marine Corps Fellow (National Security Studies) at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. From July 2001 to August 2003, he was the Director, Programs Division (RP), and Assistant Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Programs and Resources (ADC,P&R),
Headquarters Marine Corps.
From 2003 to 2006, Paxton served as Commanding General,
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and Western Recruiting Region. On May 22, 2007, Paxton relinquished command of the
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 ...
to Brigadier General Richard P. Mills.
Paxton next served as the Chief of Staff to the commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq. Advanced to lieutenant general in 2008, Paxton served initially as Director, Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5) on the Joint Staff, then was nominated and confirmed to the Operations Directorate (J-3), where he served until appointment as CG, II MEF; and CG, Marine Forces, Africa. Before departing the Pentagon, Paxton also served as interim director, The Joint Staff.
Paxton retired in August 2016.
Paxton is an Advisory Board Member of
Spirit of America Spirit of America may refer to:
Transport
*Spirit of America (automobile), land speed record-setting vehicles
*''Spirit of America'', a book of photography by Ken Duncan
*''Spirit of America'', the first B-2 Spirit bomber
*''Spirit of America'', o ...
, a
501(c)(3) organization
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of t ...
that supports the safety and success of US troops serving abroad.
[ ]
Awards and decorations
Paxton also holds several awards of the expert rifle badge and the sharpshooter pistol marksmanship badge.
References
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Paxton, John M. Jr.
1951 births
Assistant Commandants of the United States Marine Corps
Cornell University College of Engineering alumni
Living people
People from Chester, Pennsylvania
People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal
United States Marine Corps generals
Military personnel from Pennsylvania