Dennis J. Hejlik is a retired

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

. Hejlik previously served as commanding general of

United States Marine Corps Forces, Europe The Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa (abbreviated as MARFOREUR/AF), headquartered in Panzer Kaserne-Barracks in Böblingen, Germany, is the U.S. Marine Corps component of the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command. History In Februa ...

and

United States Marine Corps Forces Command The Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command (COMMARFORCOM), headquartered at the Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads in Norfolk, Virginia, commands service retained-operating forces; executes force sourcing and synchronization to affect for ...

. Until early 2008, Hejlik commanded the newly established

Marine Special Operations Command United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is a component command of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that comprises the Marine Corps' contribution to SOCOM, originating from Marine Force Recon (FORECO ...

Military career

Hejlik, a native of

Garner, Iowa Garner is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,065 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, an increase from 2,922 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. History Garner was named after Col. ...

,Senzarino, Peggy
"In the thick of it: Garner native among top brass at Iraqi hot spot" (PDF)
, ''Globe Gazette'' (Mason City/Clear Lake, Iowa), January 7, 2005, p. A1. enlisted in the

in 1968, rising to the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

before accepting honorable discharge in 1972 to pursue education. He graduated from

Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 145,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

in 1975, returning to the Marines as a

mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

second lieutenant through the Platoon Leaders Class Program. As a

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

, Hejlik had commands at the

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

, and

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

, and

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

levels. He has also served as a tactics instructor at the

Amphibious Warfare School Marine Corps University is a military education university system of the United States Marine Corps. It is part of the Naval University System and accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools t ...

. Hejlik graduated 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 associa ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, in 1993. As a lieutenant colonel, Hejlik assumed command of

1st Battalion, 2nd Marines 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines (1/2) (pronounced "one-two") is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, consisting of approximately 900 Marines and sailors. The battalion, ca ...

. The

Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. is located at the corner of 8th and I streets, Southeast in Washington, D.C. Established in 1801, it is a National Historic Landmark, the oldest post in the United States Marine Corps, the official residence of ...

came under his command in 1997. While there, Hejlik barred the marines under his command from a number of

gay bar A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...

s in the city in an attempt to curb antagonism between marines and the gay community. In 1999, he was appointed as

Military Secretary to the Commandant of the Marine Corps The military secretary to the commandant of the Marine Corps is the senior advisor and task manager for the commandant of the Marine Corps. Personally selected by the commandant, the military secretary is an active duty colonel who reports direct ...

. Hejlik was assigned as the Principal Director for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism in 2001, then as chief of staff and director of the Center for Command Support in 2002. He was next assigned as deputy commanding general of

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 i ...

, which holds a secondary billet as commander of the

1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1st MEB) was a formation most recently assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). First established as 1st Brigade (1901-1914), the brigade has also been activated as 1st Marine Brigade (1947-1949), 1st Pro ...

, both headquartered at

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 ...

, in July 2004 until late 2005. With that unit, Hejlik was involved in preparing the

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...

efforts during the

United States occupation of Fallujah The United States bombardment of Fallujah began in April 2003, one month after the beginning of the invasion of Iraq. In April 2003 United States forces fired on a group of demonstrators who were protesting against the US presence. US forces alle ...

.Military.com article
/ref> Dennis Hejlik

Hejlik was named the first commander of the Marine Special Operations Command. The command was first announced on November 1, 2005, becoming the first Special Operations Command unit of the Marine Corps. Hejlik was a vocal supporter of the new command, which opponents claim detracts from the corps' status and reputation as an all-elite force. Proponents, including Defense Secretary

Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, businessman, and naval officer who served as United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and again ...

, claim special operations units, to include marines, are essential in the War on Terrorism.SignOnSanDiego article
/ref> Hejlik was confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for promotion to the rank of major general on March 16, 2006. He was then nominated for promotion to the rank of

on March 13, 2008, to become the commander of the

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 ...

; and confirmed for promotion by the Senate on April 29, 2008. In April 2010, he was nominated by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

to relieve

Richard F. Natonski Richard F. Natonski is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general whose last assignment was as the Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command. He assumed the post in August 2008, having previously served as the United States Mari ...

as commander of Marine Forces Command. Hejlik served as Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, from July 2008 until August 2010.

Awards and decorations

Medals awarded to Hejlik include: *General Hejlik is also the winner of the Leftwich Trophy.

References

External links

Official Marine biographyII MEF biographyDennis Hejlik's retirement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hejlik, Dennis Year of birth missing (living people) Living people United States Marine Corps personnel of the Gulf War United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps officers People from Garner, Iowa Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Leftwich Trophy Recipients of the Humanitarian Service Medal