James Mattis
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| James N. Mattis | |
|---|---|
 General James N. Mattis, USMC |
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| Nickname | "Chaos" "Warrior Monk" "Mad Dog Mattis"[1] |
| Place of birth | Pullman, Washington |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1972 - present |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands held | U.S. Joint Forces Command Supreme Allied Commander Transformation I Marine Expeditionary Force U.S. Marine Forces Central Command Marine Corps Combat Development Command 1st Marine Division 7th Marine Regiment 1st Battalion, 7th Marines |
| Battles/wars | Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom *2001 invasion of Afghanistan Operation Iraqi Freedom *2003 invasion of Iraq *Operation Vigilant Resolve |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star with "V" |
General James N. Mattis, USMC is the current Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM). He previously served as Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command and as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation from November 9, 2007 to September 8, 2009. Prior to that, he served as Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force and Commander, U.S. Marine Forces Central Command. He continues to serve as Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command which assumed on November 9, 2007.
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[edit] Marine Corps career
Mattis attended Central Washington University[2] and was commissioned a second lieutenant January 1, 1972.[3] As a lieutenant, he served as a rifle and weapons platoon commander in the 3rd Marine Division. As a captain, he commanded a rifle company and a weapons company in the 1st Marine Brigade. As a Major, he commanded RS Portland. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, one of Task Force Ripper's assault battalions in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As a colonel, he commanded 7th Marines (Reinforced). As a Brigadier General, he commanded 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and then Task Force 58 (TF-58), during Operation Enduring Freedom in southern Afghanistan. As the commander of TF-58, he became the first Marine to command a Naval Task Force in combat.[4] As a major general, he commanded the 1st Marine Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent stability operations in during the Iraq War.
He is a graduate of the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College.
General Mattis played a key role in the April 2004 battle of Fallujah, Operation Vigilant Resolve, by negotiating with the insurgent command inside of the city, as well as playing an important part in the November 2004 battle of Fallujah, Operation Phantom Fury.
On February 1, 2005, Lieutenant General Mattis, speaking Ad libitum at a forum in San Diego, said "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right upfront with you, I like brawling." Mattis's remarks sparked controversy and General Michael W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement suggesting that Mattis should have chosen his words more carefully, but would not be disciplined.[5]
As reported in the Los Angeles Times in May 2007, following a Pentagon survey that showed only 55% of soldiers and 40% of Marines would report a colleague for abusing civilians, Mattis told his Marines, “Whenever you show anger or disgust toward civilians, it's a victory for Al Qaeda and other insurgents.” Reflecting an understanding of the need for restraint in war, restraint that is a key to defeating an insurgency, he added that, "Every time you wave at an Iraqi civilian, Al Qaeda rolls over in its grave."[6]
The Pentagon announced on May 31, 2006 that LtGen Mattis had been chosen to take command of the I Marine Expeditionary Force based out of Camp Pendleton, California.[7]
General Mattis popularized the slogan "no better friend, no worse enemy", (originally coined by the Dictator Sulla as his own epitaph in 78 BC) for his command. This phrase became widely publicized during the investigation into the conduct of Lieutenant Ilario Pantano, a platoon commander serving under General Mattis.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
On 11 September 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced that President George W. Bush had nominated LtGen. Mattis for appointment to the rank of general with assignment as commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) in Norfolk, Virginia. NATO has also agreed to appoint Mattis as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
On 28 September 2007, the United States Senate confirmed Lt. Gen Mattis as the next JFCOM commander. He has relinqished command of I MEF on 5 November 2007 to LtGen Samuel Helland. Mattis was promoted to four-star general and took control of JFCOM/SACT on 9 November 2007. He transferred the job of SACT to French General Stéphane Abrial on 9 September 2009, but continued in command of JFCOM.[15]
[edit] Decorations and awards
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[edit] Portrayals in media
General James Mattis is portrayed by Robert John Burke in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill.
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: James N. Mattis |
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: James Mattis |
- 2003 Invasion of Iraq
- U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
- Operation Phantom Fury
- Operation Vigilant Resolve
- List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals
[edit] References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
- Notes
- ^ Boot, Max (March 2006). "The Corps should look to its small-wars past". Armed Forces Journal. http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2006/03/1813950. Retrieved 2007-06-12.
- ^ United States Joint Forces Command Website
- ^ Reynolds Basrah, Baghdad and Beyond, p. 4.
- ^ Reynolds Basrah, Baghdad and Beyond, p. 5.
- ^ Guardiano, John R. (February 11, 2005). "Breaking the Warrior Code". The American Spectator. http://www.spectator.org/archives/2005/02/11/breaking-the-warrior-code.
- ^ “General Urges Marines To Add A Friendly Wave To Their Arsenal,” Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2007.
- ^ Lowe, Christian (June 12, 2006). "Popular commander to lead I MEF". Marine Corps Times: p. 24.
- ^ "Top 10 Stories of 2005: Pantano, roads, Olchowski are 10-7". Star News Online. December 28, 2005. http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051228/NEWS/51227016&SearchID=73247366207350. Retrieved January 24.
- ^ Quinn-Judge, Paul (February 28, 2005). "Did He Go Too Far?". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1032357-1,00.html. Retrieved January 24.
- ^ Phillips, Stone (April 26, 2005). "Marine charged with murders of Iraqis: Lieutenant claims self-defense in shooting of detainees". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7250029/. Retrieved January 24.
- ^ Jeff Schogol (November 16, 2005). "Marine acquitted in Iraqi shootings will publish a book". Stars and Stripes. http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=33048. Retrieved January 24.
- ^ Walker, Mark (July 1, 2006). "Pantano case has parallels to Hamdania incident". North County Times. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/07/02/news/top_stories/22_22_057_1_06.txt. Retrieved January 24.
- ^ Phillips, Phillips (June 14, 2006). "Sending A Message". http://www.docstrangelove.com/2006/06/14/sending-a-message/. Retrieved January 24.
- ^ Charen, Mona (February 25, 2005). "Is the Marine Corps P.C.?". townhall.com. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MonaCharen/2005/02/25/is_the_marine_corps_pc. Retrieved January 24.
- ^ Allied Command Transformation Public Affairs Office (September 9, 2009). "French general assumes command of Allied Command Transformation". United States Joint Forces Command. http://www.jfcom.mil/newslink/storyarchive/2009/pa090909.html. Retrieved September 10.
- ^ a b "French general assumes command of Allied Command Transformation". Allied Command Transformation Public Affairs Office. USS George Washington (CVN-73): NATO. 2009-09-18. http://www.act.nato.int/news.asp?storyid=430. Retrieved 2009-09-28. close up image of awards
- Bibliography
- Reynolds, Nicholas E. (2005). ‘’Basrah, Baghdad and Beyond - The U.S. Marine Corps in the Second Iraq War.’’p. 5. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-717-4
- Web
