Michael Hagee

Michael William Hagee (born December 1, 1944) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 33rd Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2006, succeeding General James L. Jones on January 13, 2003. He stepped down as Commandant two months before the end of his four-year term, and was succeeded by General James T. Conway on November 13, 2006. On that date, Hagee had his retirement ceremony just prior to the passage of command ceremony. Hagee retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 2007.

Biography

Early life and education Hagee was born in Hampton, Virginia, on December 1, 1944 and raised in Fredericksburg, Texas. He graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and was a classmate of Oliver North, Charles Bolden, Jim Webb, and Michael Mullen. He also holds a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College and the United States Naval War College. In 2004, he was honored with the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award.

Personal life His father, Robert L. Hagee, served as a United States Navy pilot in World War II and, in the summer of 2009, was awarded a plaque at the Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site, now known as the National Museum of the Pacific War (formerly Nimitz Museum) in Fredericksburg, Texas. He and his wife Silke, daughter of the German Air Force brigadier general Werner Boie, have two children.

Hagee is the president and CEO of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation. He has previously sat on the Board of Advisors for Cobam and Silicon Graphics.

Military career

Awards and decorations