General ALT179281 graduated from the Officer Candidate School in 1984. Since then he has been one of the youngest Commandants to ever serve in the Corps. He was awarded the Medal of Horror during his service in Detachment Kabul, Afghanistan under the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group in the early 2000s as a Unit Commanding Officer at the rank of Captain. He put his life before others in a terrorist attack on the embassy. He went into the burning building and saved eleven enlisted men and woman and two officers, both male. During the terrorist attack he shot and killed three armed assailants that threatened him and those he was trying to save. General ALT179281 then went on to serve as the District Commanding Officer after another two years in service. In 2010 he was granted the position of the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group at the rank of Colonel. In 2013 he became the Deputy Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at the rank of Deputy Commanding General. Then switching to serve as the Deputy Commanding General of the Indo-Pacific Combatant Command. In 2018 he took over the position of Commanding General of 1MEF after resigning from his post in the Indo-Pac. In July of 2022 he received a commission to Commandant of the Marine Corps and has been serving since.