Robert B. Johnston (born October 6, 1937) is a retired

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 c ...

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 th ...

whose last duty assignment was as Commander, Marine Forces Atlantic, Marine Forces Europe and

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 ...

. During the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, he served as the

CENTCOM The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

Chief-of-Staff. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1995 after over 34 years of service.

Early life and education

Robert B. Johnston was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on October 6, 1937. He immigrated to the United States in 1955 and graduated from

San Diego State College San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in English in 1961, where he was also a member of the

Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha (), commonly known as PIKE, is a college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1868. The fraternity has over 225 chapters and colonies across the United States and abroad with over 15,500 undergraduate members over 3 ...

fraternity. In He received a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from the

United States International University United States International University (USIU) was a nonprofit university based in San Diego, California that was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. At its peak, it had two additional American campuses and three inter ...

in 1975.

Military career

Johnston was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

in December 1961. His first tour of duty was with the 1st Marine Brigade in Hawaii as a Rifle Platoon Commander, Company Executive Officer and Assistant Regimental S-3, respectively. In May 1965, he deployed with the Brigade to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

, where he served as Assistant Regimental S-3. He served a second tour in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, as a Rifle Company Commander in the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines and as Assistant G-2, 3rd Marine Division. He was promoted to first lieutenant in June 1963 and captain in September 1965. Between his Vietnam tours, Johnston served as Commanding Officer, Guard Company, \

Headquarters Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The function, ...

, Washington, D.C., from July 1965 to October 1966. Transferring to

Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeas ...

, he completed the Amphibious Warfare School in July 1968, and was subsequently assigned to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California, in August, where he served as Assistant G-3, Staff Secretary and Executive Officer of 2nd Recruit Training Battalion until August 1972. He was promoted to major in October 1971. Following an assignment to the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group in Korea from 1972 to 1973, Johnston completed graduate school in San Diego in March 1975. He returned to Headquarters Marine Corps for a three-year tour serving in the Manpower Plans and Policy Division as Manpower Systems Analyst, then as Head, Enlisted Plans Section. While at Headquarters, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in March 1978. From August 1978 to June 1979, Johnston was a student at the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Col ...

, Washington, D.C., then assumed duties as the Aide-de-Camp to the

Commandant of the Marine Corps The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions. The CMC reports directly to the secr ...

(June 1979 to May 1981). He then assumed command of

2nd Battalion, 8th Marines 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines (2/8) 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. Nicknamed "America's Battalion," they fa ...

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilming ...

, North Carolina from July 1981 to February 1983, and commanded the

8th Marine Regiment The 8th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. When last active, it was based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and fell under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expedit ...

from 8 February 1983 to 22 May 1984. He was promoted to colonel in May 1983 while at Camp Lejeune. Johnston relinquished command of 8th Marines to Col. John P. Brickley. Johnston was assigned to Quantico in May 1984 to assume command of Officer Candidates School. While serving in this capacity, he was selected for promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

in December 1986. He was advanced to that grade on August 21, 1987, and assumed duty as the Assistant Division Commander, 3rd Marine Division in September 1987. He was assigned additional duty as the Commanding General, 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade in November 1987. On May 26, 1988, General Johnston was assigned as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Base, Camp S.D. Butler. On May 4, 1990, he was promoted to major general and on June 15, 1990 he was assigned to

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

as the Chief of Staff. In August 1990, he deployed with CENTCOM to Saudi Arabia, where he served as the Chief of Staff to General Norman Schwarzkopf during Operations Desert Shield and

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases ...

. In May 1991, he returned to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida and was assigned as the Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff, United States Central Command. He was advanced to lieutenant general on August 27, 1991, and assumed duty as Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force and Commanding General,

Marine Corps Base 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 O ...

, California, on September 6, 1991. He relinquished command of Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton on June 19, 1992. In December 1992, as Commanding General of I MEF, Johnston lead U.S. and allied troops in a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

mandated mission to deliver relief supplies to Somalia. On July 8, 1993 he assumed his final assignment as Commander, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic,

and Marine Forces Europe on July 19, 1993. Lieutenant General Johnston retired in 1995 after 34 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Decorations and awards

Johnston's decorations include:

Notes

References

:''This article incorporates text in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired ...

from the United States Marine Corps.'' *

Bibliography

* Then-LtCol. Johnston commanded the BLT 2/8 in Beirut. {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Robert B. 1937 births Living people United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War United States Marine Corps officers Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) Recipients of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) San Diego State University alumni United States International University alumni United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps personnel of the Gulf War