General Walter Eugene Boomer (born September 22, 1938) is a retired American four-star

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and assistant commandant of 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 ...

and business executive. Boomer led all Marines in Operations Desert Shield and

Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

during the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. He was later the chairman and CEO of Rogers Corporation and retired in 2004. He is the current lead director of

Baxter International Baxter International Inc. is an American multinational healthcare company with headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. The company primarily focuses on products to treat chronic and acute medical conditions. The company had 2023 global net sal ...

. Boomer is a 1960 graduate of

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

and later earned a master's degree from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

Biography

Boomer was born on 22 September 1938 in

Rich Square, North Carolina Rich Square (also known as Richsquare) is an American town of 894 people in Northampton County, North Carolina. History Quakers were some of the earliest settlers in Northampton County, being established there by the early 1750s. The congrega ...

. In 1956, he graduated from Randolph-Macon Academy in

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated at 15,400 as of 2023. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to beco ...

. He earned a B.A. degree from Duke University in 1960, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in technology of management from American University, Washington, D.C. in 1973.

Marine Corps service

After completing

The Basic School The Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed (for warrant officers) United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an "Officer of Marines." The Basic School is located in Stafford County, Virginia to ...

, Quantico, Virginia, in January 1961, his first assignments were with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines and the

2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines 2d Battalion, 2d Marines (2/2) is a light infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also known as "The Warlords", it consists of approximately 1,000 marines and sailors and ...

, 2nd Marine Division,

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) 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 ( ...

, where he was platoon commander, weapons platoon commander and battalion training officer, respectively, from 1961 to 1964. He was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in December 1961 and to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in April 1965. Boomer saw combat action from 1966 to 1967 in the

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...

as the commanding officer, Company H, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. During this combat tour, he was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

Medal for valor. Returning to the US, he attended the Amphibious Warfare School at Quantico. On completion, he was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in May 1968, and was transferred to

Headquarters Marine Corps The 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 funct ...

, Washington, D.C., for duty as the administrative assistant and aide-de-camp to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs. Following this assignment, he attended the Armed Forces Staff College in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

. In 1971, Boomer attended the Short Advisors Course at

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

, in preparation for advisor duty with the South Vietnamese Marines. In August that year, he returned to Vietnam as an advisor to the 4th Vietnamese Marine Corps Battalion. While serving this tour of duty, he was involved in the defense of Firebase Sarge during the

Easter Offensive The Easter Offensive, also known as the 1972 spring–summer offensive (') by North Vietnam, or the Red Fiery Summer (') as romanticized in South Vietnamese literature, was a military campaign conducted by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN, t ...

, North Vietnam's largest assault on the South. Transferred back to the US in September 1972, he attended American University, receiving his M.S. degree in December 1973. The following month, he began a three-year tour as a management instructor at the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the sec ...

, Annapolis, Maryland. During the last year of his tour, he was the chairman of the Department of Management. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in September 1976. From July 1977 to June 1980, Boomer was stationed in Hawaii, where he was

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

, 3rd Marines, 1st Marine Brigade, and then commanding officer, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines. Returning to the mainland US in July 1980, he attended 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, graduating with distinction in June 1981. He then assumed the duties as the deputy director of the Fourth Marine Corps District, Philadelphia. He was promoted to colonel on 1 November 1981 and became the director of the Fourth Marine Corps District on 17 June 1983. During February 1985, Boomer returned to Quantico to assume command of the

Marine Security Guard A Marine Security Guard (MSG), also known as a Marine Embassy Guard, is a member of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group (formerly Marine Security Guard Battalion), a brigade-sized organization of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) whose de ...

Battalion. While serving in this capacity, he was selected in April 1986 for promotion to brigadier general. He was advanced to that grade on 2 June 1986 and assigned duty as the director of public affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps, on 7 June 1986. He held this post until 27 May 1988, when he was assigned duty as the commanding general, 4th Marine Division (Reinforced), FMF, New Orleans. On 14 March 1989, he was advanced to major general and promoted to

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 ...

on 8 August 1990. On 15 August 1990, Boomer was deployed to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, where he was the commanding general, U.S. Marine Forces Central Command (MARCENT) and

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 ...

during Operations

Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

and

. On 22 April 1991, he returned to

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 ...

and assumed the duties of commanding general,

/commanding general, Marine Corps Base. He served in this capacity until 6 September 1991. Boomer reported to Quantico, Virginia, on 27 September 1991, where he assumed duty as the commanding general,

Marine Corps Combat Development Command The Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC), located at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Prince William County, Virginia, is a major command of the United States Marine Corps (USMC), which has the mission of supporting the development of ...

. He was promoted to general on 1 September 1992 and assumed his last duty assignment as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. Boomer retired from the Marine Corps 1 September 1994.

Awards and honors

Boomer's medals and decorations include:

Post-Marine Corps career

After retiring from the Marine Corps, General Boomer was executive vice president of

McDermott International McDermott International, Ltd provides engineering and construction services to the energy industry. Operating in over 54 countries, McDermott has more than 30,000 employees, as well as a fleet of specialty marine construction vessels and fabri ...

(1994–1996). He joined Rogers Corporation – an international specialty materials manufacturing company — in 1997 as president and CEO. From 2002 to 2004, he was chairman of the board of Rogers Corporation. Boomer is currently on the board of directors of Rogers Corporation, Cytyc Corporation and

References

External links