31st Commandant of the Marine Corps (1995-1999)
Place of birth	Quantico, Virginia
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1963-1999
Rank	General
Commands	3rd Battalion 3rd Marines 2nd Force Service Support Group Marine Forces Pacific MCCDC Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Bronze Star Purple Heart

General Charles Chandler Krulak (born March 4, 1942) served as the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1999. He is the son of Lt. Gen. Victor H. "Brute" Krulak, USMC, who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Early years; education

Charles Krulak was born in 1942 in Quantico, Virginia. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, Krulak attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduated from the Academy in 1964 with a bachelor's degree. Krulak also holds a master's degree in labor relations from George Washington University (1973). He is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School (1968); the Army Command and General Staff College (1976); and the National War College (1982).

Marine Corps career

After his commissioning and graduation from The Basic School at Quantico, Krulak held a variety of command and staff positions. His command positions included: Commanding Officer of a platoon and two rifle companies during two tours of duty in Vietnam; Commanding Officer, Special Training Branch and Recruit Series, [[MCRD San Diego, California. (1966-1968), Commanding Officer, Counter-Guerilla Warfare School, NTA, Okinawa (1970), Company Officer, U.S. Naval Academy (1970-1973), Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks, Naval Air Station North Island, California (1973-1976), and Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines (1983-1985).

Krulak's staff assignments included: Operations Officer, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines (1977-1978); Chief of the Combat Arms Monitor Section, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C. (1978-1979); Executive Assistant to the Director of Personnel Management, Headquarters Marine Corps (1979-1981); Plans Office, Fleet Marine Forces Pacific, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii (1982-1983); Executive Officer, 3rd Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade; Assistant Chief of Staff, Maritime Pre-positioning Ships, 1st MEB; Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, 1st MEB; and the Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

He was assigned duty as the Deputy Director of the White House Military Office in September 1987. While serving in this capacity, he was selected for promotion to brigadier general in November 1988. He was advanced to that grade on June 5, 1989, and assigned duties as the Commanding General, 10th MEB/Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division, FMF Atlantic, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on July 10, 1989. On June 1, 1990, he assumed duties as the Commanding General, 2nd Force Service Support Group Group/Commanding General, 6th MEB, FMF Atlantic and commanded the 2d FSSG during the Gulf War. He served in this capacity until July 12, 1991, and was assigned duty as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (Personnel Management/Personnel Procurement), Headquarters Marine Corps on August 5, 1991. He was advanced to major general on March 20, 1992. General Krulak was assigned as Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, on August 24, 1992, and was promoted to lieutenant general on September 1, 1992. On July 22, 1994, he was assigned as Commander of Marine Forces Pacific/Commanding General, FMF Pacific, and in March 1995 he was nominated to serve as the Commandant of the Marine Corps. On June 29, he was promoted to General and assumed duties as the 31st Commandant on June 30, 1995. He was relieved on June 30, 1999, by General James L. Jones.

Post-Marine Corps career

Following his retirement from the Marine Corps, General Krulak joined MBNA America in September 1999 as chief administrative officer for MBNA America, responsible for Personnel, Benefits, Compensation, Education, and other administrative services. Krulak has served as the Senior Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MBNA Europe (2001-2005). He was the executive vice chairman and chief administration officer of MBNA Corporation (2004-2005). He retired from MBNA in 2005.

Following the takeover of English Football Club Aston Villa by MBNA Chairman Randy Lerner in August 2006 and as of 19 September 2006, General Krulak joined the Board of Aston Villa as non-executive director, where he quickly earned the approval of the fans by taking the time to post on various Aston Villa messageboards. Krulak is referred to by most Villa fans as the General.

Krulak also serves on the Boards of ConocoPhillips, Phelps Dodge Corporation and Union Pacific Corporation.^[1][2][3]

Decorations and medals

General Krulak's decorations and medals included:

• Defense Distinguished Service Medal
• Distinguished Service Medal
• Silver Star
• Bronze Star with Valor device and two gold stars
• Purple Heart with gold star
• Meritorious Service Medal
• Navy Commendation Medal
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Presidential Unit Citation with bronze star
• National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star
• Vietnam Service Medal with silver and bronze star
• Southwest Asia Service Medal with three bronze stars
• Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with two bronze stars
• Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, bronze citation star and silver citation star
• Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
• Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation
• Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
• Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)

Legacy

General Krulak famously referred to the Strategic Corporal and the Three Block War as two of the key lessons identified from the deployments in Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia. These concepts are still considered vital in understanding the increasing complexity of modern battlefields.

General Krulak explained some of his warfighting philosophy in an interview with Tom Clancy in Clancy's nonfiction book Marine. Clancy referred to General Krulak as "Warrior Prince of the Corps".

General Krulak also rewrote the Marine Corps' basic combat study text, MCDP-1: Warfighting, incorporating his theories on operations in the modern battlefield.

Family

General Krulak is married to the former Zandi Meyers from Annapolis. They have two sons, David and Todd. He is the son of Lt. General Victor Krulak, Sr., USMC and the younger brother of Captain Victor Krulak, Jr., Chaplain Corps, USN.

See also

United States Marine Corps Portal

• General Victor H. Krulak, USMC, father of General Charles Krulak
• Commandant of the Marine Corps

Notes

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.

• General Charles C. Krulak, USMC (Retired). Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2006-09-19.