Ronald L. Bailey is a retired

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 ...

in the

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 ...

. He was the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

to command the

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine (military), Marine Division (military), 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 E ...

, from 2011 to 2013.

Education

Bailey attended St. Augustine High School in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...

, before graduating from

Austin Peay State University Austin Peay State University (APSU) () is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 ...

in Clarksville,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

in 1977 and was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant that same year. He is a Life Member of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

fraternity. He served as an infantry officer. When appointed to the Marine Corps Recruiting Command, Bailey said "...leadership is about influence and relationships – relationships with the American people. Our nation’s citizens expect us to be America’s expeditionary force in readiness committed to their protection at home and abroad; we will honor that expectation with the professional and empathetic execution of our mission within their communities nationwide."

Career

Bailey was appointed in January 2011 to head the

Marine Corps Recruiting Command The Marine Corps Recruiting Command is a command of the United States Marine Corps responsible for military recruitment of civilians into the Corps. In addition to finding volunteers to join, it is also responsible for preparing them for United ...

, where he commanded more than 22,000 troops. He also served as commanding general of

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRD San Diego) is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former N ...

. In June 2013, Bailey was promoted to

and assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps as the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations. Bailey retired from the

after 41 years of service, on July 31, 2017. In 2020 he was honored with a historic marker at Collier-Blocker-Puryear Park in his hometown of St. Augustine, Florida. In 2020, he was Vice-President for Institutional Advancement at

in Tennessee, the university from which he graduated in 1977. After that, he became Vice President, Industry Development at the

National Electrical Contractors Association The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) is a trade association in the United States representing the electrical contracting industry through advocacy, education, research, and standards development. History In 1901, at the Pan ...

. He is a director of the Travis Manion Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Ronald L. Year of birth missing (living people) Austin Peay State University alumni Living people African-American United States Navy personnel United States Marine Corps generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit 21st-century African-American military personnel Lieutenant generals