Robert Magnus

Robert Magnus (born April 28, 1947) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 30th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from September 8, 2005, to July 2, 2008. He retired from active duty on July 17, 2008, after 38 years of total service.

Biography Magnus was born on April 28, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest child of a bookkeeper and a seamstress. His family moved from Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood to the working class community of Levittown, Long Island, "a mile and a half from a potato farm". Magnus was sent to a Conservative Hebrew school three days a week and celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Hicksville Jewish Center on Long Island.

He majored in modern European and Russian history at the University of Virginia, graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He earned a master's degree in business administration from Strayer College in 1993. His formal military education includes Naval Aviator Training, U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College.

Marine career Magnus completed The Basic School at Quantico, Virginia, in 1969 and then reported to the Naval Air Training Command, where he was designated a Naval Aviator.

In October 1974, Magnus left the Marine Corps for 15 months to work on Wall Street. According to Magnus, "I realized three things: I really liked flying, I really liked leading people – especially Marines, and that Wall Street wasn't for me." When he returned to the Marines, Magnus became a weapons and tactics instructor for CH-46 helicopter aviators. On July 2, 2008, he was succeed as Assistant Commandant by General James F. Amos. Magnus retired from active service in a ceremony on July 17, 2008, after 38 years of total service. Magnus received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his years of superior service to the U.S. military. He officially retired on September 1, 2008; at the time of his retirement, he was the last active officer of the Corps who had served during the Vietnam War.

Awards and decorations His personal decorations include:

Naval Aviator BadgeNavy Distinguished Service Medal with one gold award starDefense Superior Service MedalLegion of MeritNavy and Marine Corps Achievement MedalJoint Meritorious Unit AwardNavy Meritorious Unit CommendationNational Defense Service Medal w/ 2 service starsArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalVietnam Service MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalHumanitarian Service MedalNavy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon w/ 1 service starOffice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge Magnus holds the Sharpshooter Rifle badge and several awards of the Expert Pistol badge.