James T. Conway

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

James Terry Conway
3rd Battalion 2nd Marines
Battles/warsGulf War
Iraq War
Awards
Commander of the Legion of Honour
(France)

James Terry Conway (born December 26, 1947) is a retired

1st Marine Division and I Marine Expeditionary Force, taking part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the First Battle of Fallujah
.

Early life and education

Conway was born in

Air War College. He was commissioned as an infantry
officer in 1970.

Marine career

Conway's first assignment was command of a rifle

3rd Battalion 1st Marines, based at Camp Pendleton. He also served as the battalion's 106mm recoilless rifle platoon commander. Later, he served as Marine detachment executive officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and as commanding officer of the Sea School at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.[4]

After graduating with honors from the

field grade officer, he commanded two companies of students and taught tactics at The Basic School. He then went on to serve as operations officer for the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit, with sea duty in the western Pacific and in contingency operations off Beirut
, Lebanon.

Returning to the United States, Conway was assigned as

.

After the war, he was promoted to

Al Gray as the commandant had set up."[8]

Conway responding to questions at a Pentagon briefing, June 2005
Conway is sworn in by General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on November 13, 2006

US Marines of the

1st Marine Expeditionary Force under Conway's command constructed the military base "Camp Alpha" on top of ancient Babylonian ruins following the invasion. Though a US Military spokesman claimed that the project was discussed with the "head of the Babylon museum",[9]
the construction of the base drew intense criticism from archaeologists, who contend that it caused irreparable damage to one of the most important sites in the world.

On June 13, 2006, Conway was nominated by President George W. Bush to become the 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps;[10] the nomination was confirmed by the Senate on August 2, 2006.[11] On November 13, Conway was promoted to the rank of general at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., and became the 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps. He was the first Commandant in nearly 40 years to have not served in the Vietnam War.

On June 11, 2009, Conway spoke at the

Marine Expeditionary Brigades and the time "at home" away from the current wars to train for amphibious assault.[12]

Conway talks to his Marines, September 2005

Conway was reported to have had "major reservations" about the repeal of "

George Casey, supported running a one-year study on the effects of a possible repeal.[14] Conway said that if gay Marines are allowed to serve openly, he might need to change the policy that requires unmarried Marines to share rooms.[15] The policy was repealed
on December 22, 2010, after his tenure as Commandant had ended.

On October 22, 2010, Conway turned the position of Commandant over to General James F. Amos, his Assistant Commandant, at a ceremony at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.,[16] Defense Secretary Robert Gates presented Conway with his third Defense Distinguished Service Medal during the change-in-command.[16] He then retired on November 1.

Personal life

Conway is married to Anette Conway and together they have three children, two sons, currently serving in the Marine Corps, and a daughter.[17]

Post-retirement, Conway has held many different positions including a board member seat for Textron, Colt Firearms, General Dynamics, and the Center for Naval Analysis, and xG technologies.[18] He sits on the Board of Directors for Warriors & Quiet Waters[19] and is a member of the board of trustees for the Marine Corps University Foundation.

Conway served as an adjunct faculty member of Georgetown University.[4]

Awards and decorations

Conway has been decorated for service, to include:

Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Gold star
Gold star
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
1st row Defense Distinguished Service Medal w/ 2 oak leaf clusters
Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
2nd row Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Defense Meritorious Service Medal
award stars
3rd row
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Combat Action Ribbon Navy Presidential Unit Citation
4th row Joint Meritorious Unit Award w/ 2 oak leaf clusters Navy Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ 1 service star Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
5th row National Defense Service Medal w/ 2 service stars Southwest Asia Service Medal w/ 3 campaign stars Iraq Campaign Medal w/ 2 campaign stars Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
6th row Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Korea Defense Service Medal Sea Service Deployment Ribbon w/ 3 service stars Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon
7th row The Khalifyyeh Order of Bahrain, Knight Legion of Honor, Commander[20] Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
  • He also holds 7 expert awards in both rifle and pistol
    marksmanship badges. In 2010, Conway was the recipient of the distinguished "Keeper of the Flame" award.[citation needed
    ]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Official Biography:General James T. Conway". Biographies: General Officers & Senior Executives. United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
  2. ^ "New Marine Corps Commandant Welcomed". Military.com. November 14, 2006. Retrieved November 14, 2006.
  3. ^ Schogol, Jeff (November 14, 2006). "Conway becomes Marine Corps Commandant". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c "Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "Marine Corps University > Research > Marine Corps History Division > People > Who's Who in Marine Corps History > Abrell - Cushman > General James T. Conway". www.usmcu.edu. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  6. ^ Art, Robert (September 1, 2015). "From the Director: September, 2015". MIT Seminar XXI. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Find Alumni". MIT Seminar XXI. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  7. ^ "Biography of General James T. Conway, USMC (Retired)". United States Marine Corps History Division. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  8. .
  9. ^ Leeman, Sue (January 16, 2005). "Damage seen to ancient Babylon". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ Dunham, Will (June 13, 2006). "Marine Corps to get a new top general". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 1, 2006. Retrieved June 13, 2006.
  11. ^ "Conway confirmed as new commandant". Marine Corps Times. August 3, 2006. Archived from the original on August 8, 2006. Retrieved August 3, 2006.
  12. ^ Marine Commandant Says Corps Fulfilled its Mission in Iraq Archived June 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (January 31, 2010). "Forces Pushing Obama on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'". the New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  14. ^ Lamothe, Dan (February 24, 2010). "Conway: Study needed before DADT repeal". Marine Corps Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  15. ^ Whitlock, Craig (March 27, 2010). "Gay, straight Marines wouldn't share rooms with don't ask' repeal, general says". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Shea, Sgt Jimmy D. (October 22, 2010). "Taking the Reins: Marine Corps Welcomes New Commandant". Headquarters Marine Corps. United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on October 26, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  17. ^ "Gen James T. Conway, USMC (Ret) | Marine Corps University Foundation". January 20, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  18. ^ Seck, Hope Hodge (January 13, 2015). "New position for former commandant Conway". Marine Corps Times. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Incorporated, Prime. "James T. Conway". Warriors & Quiet Waters. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  20. ^ DeFilippis, Sgt. Rocco (December 4, 2009). "Commandant of the Marine Corps awarded French Legion of Honour by French Army Chief of Staff". Paris. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2009.

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Commandant of the Marine Corps
2006–2010
Succeeded by