James Mattis

James Mattis
Nickname(s)	"Chaos" (callsign)[1] "Warrior Monk" "Mad Dog Mattis"[2]
Born	September 8, 1950 Pullman, Washington, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1969–2013
Rank	General
Commands held	U.S. Central Command 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	Persian Gulf War Invasion of Afghanistan Iraq War  • Invasion of Iraq  • First Battle of Fallujah  • Second Battle of Fallujah
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal with Valor device

James N. Mattis (born September 8, 1950)^[3] is a retired United States Marine Corps general who last served as the 11th commander of United States Central Command. Mattis is known for implementing the COIN strategy. Before President Barack Obama appointed him to replace David Petraeus on August 11, 2010, he previously commanded United States Joint Forces Command from November 9, 2007 to August 2010 and served concurrently as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation from November 9, 2007 to September 8, 2009. Prior to that, he commanded I Marine Expeditionary Force, United States Marine Forces Central Command, and 1st Marine Division during the Iraq War.^[4] Mattis retired on May 22, 2013, after 44 years of service.

Early life and education

Mattis was born in Pullman, Washington on September 8, 1950.^[3] He graduated from Columbia High School, Richland, Washington, in 1968 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1969.^[5] He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Central Washington University^[6] and was commissioned a second lieutenant through ROTC on January 1, 1972.^[7] Mattis during his service years was considered something of an intellectual among the upper ranks, with his personal library numbering more than a thousand volumes. Major General Robert H. Scales (ret.)(PhD), described him as "....one of the most urbane and polished men I have known." Reinforcing this intellectual persona was the fact that he carried on his person a copy of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius throughout his deployments.^[8]

Career

As a lieutenant, Mattis served as a rifle and weapons platoon commander in the 3rd Marine Division. As a captain, he was assigned as the Naval Academy Preparatory School's Battalion Officer (Comprised of Enlisted Midshipman Candidates and its Company Officers and Enlisted Staff), commanded Rifle and Weapons Companies in the 1st Marine Regiment, then Recruiting Station Portland, Oregon, as a major.

Persian Gulf War

Upon promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel, Mattis commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, which was one of Task Force Ripper's assault battalions during the Persian Gulf War.

War in Afghanistan

As a colonel, Mattis commanded 7th Marine Regiment. He led the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade as its commanding officer upon promotion to brigadier general. During the initial planning for the War in Afghanistan, Mattis led Task Force 58 in operations in the southern part of the country, becoming the first Marine officer to ever command a Naval Task Force in combat.^[7]

While serving in Afghanistan as a brigadier general, he was known as an officer who engaged his men with "real leadership". A young Marine officer named Nathaniel Fick cited an example of that leadership when he witnessed Mattis in a fighting hole talking with a sergeant and a lance corporal: "No one would have questioned Mattis if he'd slept eight hours each night in a private room, to be woken each morning by an aide who ironed his uniforms and heated his MREs. But there he was, in the middle of a freezing night, out on the lines with his Marines."^[9]

Iraq War

Letter written by Mattis on the eve of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, addressed to members of the 1st Marine Division.

As a major general, Mattis commanded the 1st Marine Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent stability operations during the Iraq War.^[10] Mattis played key roles in combat operations in Fallujah, including negotiation with the insurgent command inside of the city during Operation Vigilant Resolve in April 2004, as well as participation in planning of the subsequent Operation Phantom Fury in November.

Following a U.S. Department of Defense survey that showed only 55% of American soldiers and 40% of U.S. Marines would report a colleague for abusing civilians, Mattis told U.S. Marines in May 2007 that "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 as key to defeating an insurgency, he added that "Every time you wave at an Iraqi civilian, al-Qaeda rolls over in its grave."^[11]

Mattis popularized the 1st Marine Division's motto "no better friend, no worse enemy", a paraphrase of the famous self-made epitaph for the Roman dictator Sulla,^[12] in his open letter to all men within the division for their return to Iraq. This phrase later became widely publicized during the investigation into the conduct of Lieutenant Ilario Pantano, a platoon commander serving under Mattis.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18]}

He also was noted for a willingness to remove senior leaders under his command at a time when the U.S. military seemed unable or unwilling to relieve under-performing or incompetent officers. During the division's push to Baghdad, Mattis relieved Colonel Joe D. Dowdy, regimental commander of Regimental Combat Team-1, and it was such a rare occurrence in the modern military that it made the front page of newspapers. Despite this, Mattis declined to comment on the matter publicly other than to say that the practice of officer relief remains alive, or at least "We are doing it in the Marines."^[9] Later interviews of Dowdy's officers and men revealed that "the colonel was doomed partly by an age-old wartime tension: Men versus mission—in which he favored his men" while Mattis insisted on execution of the mission to seize Baghdad swiftly.^[19]

Combat Development Command

After being promoted to lieutenant general, Mattis took command of Marine Corps Combat Development Command. On February 1, 2005, speaking ad libitum at a forum in San Diego, he 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 Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement suggesting that Mattis should have chosen his words more carefully, but would not be disciplined.^[20]

U.S. Joint Forces Command

The Pentagon announced on May 31, 2006 that Lieutenant General Mattis was chosen to take command of I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.^[21] On September 11, 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that President George W. Bush had nominated Mattis for appointment to the rank of general to command U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. NATO agreed to appoint Mattis as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. On September 28, 2007, the United States Senate confirmed Mattis's nomination, and he relinquished command of I MEF on November 5, 2007 to Lieutenant General Samuel Helland. Mattis was promoted to four-star general and took control of JFCOM/SACT on November 9, 2007. He transferred the job of SACT to French General Stéphane Abrial on September 9, 2009, but continued in command of JFCOM.^[22]

U.S. Central Command

In early 2010, Mattis was reported to be on the list of U.S. Marine generals being considered for selection to replace James T. Conway as the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.^[23] In July, he was recommended by Defense Secretary Robert Gates for nomination to replace David Petraeus as commander of United States Central Command,^[3][24] and formally nominated by President Barack Obama on July 21.^[25] His confirmation by the Senate Armed Services Committee marked the first time Marines had held billets as commander and deputy commander of a Unified Combatant Command.^[26] He took command at a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base on August 11.^[27][28][29]

As head of Central Command, Mattis oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was responsible for a region that includes Syria, Iran, Yemen.^[30] The Obama administration did not place much trust in Mattis, because he was perceived to be too eager for a military confrontation with Iran.^[31] He retired from the Marine Corps on May 22, 2013.

Personal life

Mattis is a graduate of the U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College. Mattis is also noted for his intellectualism and interest in military history,^[10] with a personal library that once included over 7,000 volumes,^[1] and a penchant for publishing required reading lists for Marines under his command.^[32][33] He has never been married and has no children.^[1] He is nicknamed "The Warrior Monk" because he devoted his life to studying and fighting war.^[34]

Since retirement, Mattis has worked for FWA Consultants^[35] and is an Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution.^[36] He also serves as a Member of the General Dynamics Board of Directors.^[35] He is a board member of Theranos, a Silicon Valley biotech company.^[37]

General Mattis has been floated as a possible 2016 U.S. presidential candidate for the Republican Party in the event of a contested convention fight.^[38]

Awards and decorations

First row	Defense Distinguished Service Medal w/ 1 oak leaf cluster				Navy Distinguished Service Medal				Defense Superior Service Medal				Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
Second row	Legion of Merit			Bronze Star Medal w/ valor device			Meritorious Service Medal w/ 2 award stars			Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Third row	Combat Action Ribbon			Presidential Unit Citation			Joint Meritorious Unit Award			Navy Unit Commendation
Fourth row	Navy and Marine Corps Meritorious Unit Commendation			Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal			National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 service star			Southwest Asia Service Medal w/ 2 campaign stars
Fifth row	Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal w/ 1 service star			Afghanistan Campaign Medal			Iraq Campaign Medal			Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Sixth row	Humanitarian Service Medal			Sea Service Ribbon w/ 7 service stars			Marine Corps Recruiting Service Ribbon w/ 1 service star			Polish Army Medal in gold
Seventh Row	NATO Meritorious Service Medal[22]			NATO Medal for Service with ISAF[22]			Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)			Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Badges	Rifle Expert marksmanship badge (4th award)						Pistol Expert marksmanship badge (2nd award)

He is also the recipient of several civilian awards, to include:

• 2009 – Center for National Policy's Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public Service Award^[3]
• 2010 – Atlantic Council's Distinguished Military Leadership Award.^[3]
• 2013 – World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads "Ryan C. Crocker Global Citizen of the Year" Award^[35]
• 2014 – Marine Corps University Foundation Semper Fidelis Award^[35]
• 2014 – Washington College honorary doctor of laws degree^[39]

In popular culture

• Mattis is portrayed by Robert John Burke in the 2008 HBO mini-series Generation Kill.^[40]

See also

• List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals

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

References

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

1. Kovach, Gretel C. (January 19, 2013). "Just don't call him Mad Dog". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
2. Boot, Max (March 2006). "The Corps should look to its small-wars past". Armed Forces Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
3. "Nominations before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Second Session, 111th Congress" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
4. Garamone, Jim (August 11, 2010). "Gates: Mattis brings experience, continuity to Central Command". American Forces Press Service. Headquarters Marine Corps. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
5. Mattis, James (September 25, 2013). General James Mattis, "In the Midst of the Storm: A US Commander's View of the Changing Middle East". Dartmouth College. Event occurs at 80:10. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
6. "Official website". United States Joint Forces Command.
7. Reynolds, Nicholas E. (2005). Basrah, Baghdad and Beyond. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9781591147176. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
8. Ricks, Thomas E. (August 1, 2006). "Fiasco". Armed Forces Journal. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
9. Thomas E. Ricks (2012). The Generals : American Military Command from World War II to Today. New York: Penguin Press. p. 405. ISBN 9781594204043.
10. Thomas E. Ricks (2006). Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq. New York: Penguin Press. p. 313.
11. Perry, Tony (May 17, 2007). "General Urges Marines To Add A Friendly Wave To Their Arsenal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
12. Durant, Will (2001). Heroes of History : A Brief History of Civilization from Ancient Times to the Dawn of the Modern Age. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 131. ISBN 0-7432-2910-X.
13. "Top 10 Stories of 2005: Pantano, roads, Olchowski are 10-7". Star News Online. December 28, 2005. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
14. Quinn-Judge, Paul (February 28, 2005). "Did He Go Too Far?". Time. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
15. Phillips, Stone (April 26, 2005). "Marine charged with murders of Iraqis: Lieutenant claims self-defense in shooting of detainees". MSNBC. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
16. Jeff Schogol (November 16, 2005). "Marine acquitted in Iraqi shootings will publish a book". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
17. Walker, Mark (July 1, 2006). "Pantano case has parallels to Hamdania incident". North County Times. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
18. Charen, Mona (February 25, 2005). "Is the Marine Corps P.C.?". townhall.com. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
19. Cooper, Christopher (April 5, 2004). "How a Marine Lost His Command In Race to Baghdad". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
20. Guardiano, John R. (February 11, 2005). "Breaking the Warrior Code". The American Spectator.
21. Lowe, Christian (June 12, 2006). "Popular commander to lead I MEF". Marine Corps Times. p. 24.
22. "French general assumes command of Allied Command Transformation". Allied Command Transformation Public Affairs Office. USS George Washington (CVN-73): NATO. September 18, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
23. Gearan, Anne (June 22, 2010). "Gates announces nomination of Amos for CMC". Marine Corps Times. Associated Press. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
24. Cavallaro, Gina (July 8, 2010). "Pentagon picks Mattis to take over CENTCOM". Marine Corps Times. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
25. "Obama backs Mattis nomination for CENTCOM". Marine Corps Times. July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
26. "Petraeus' replacement at Central Command confirmed". The Fayetteville Observer. Associated Press. August 6, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
27. "Mattis takes over Central Command, vows to work with Mideast allies in Afghanistan, Iraq". Fox News. Associated Press. August 11, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
28. Mitchell, Robbyn (August 12, 2010). "Mattis takes over as CentCom chief". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
29. "Mattis assumes command of CENTCOM". U.S. Central Command. August 11, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
30. Mattis interview: Syria would fall without Iran's help April 12, 2013 USA Today
31. Panetta, Leon; Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace (Kindle Locations 6368-6370). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition
32. "LtGen James Mattis' Reading List". Small Wars Journal. June 5, 2007.
33. Ricks, Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, p. 317
34. North, Oliver (July 9, 2010). "Gen. Mattis: The Warrior Monk". Fox News Insider. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
35. "About General James Mattis". FWA Consultants. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
36. "General Jim Mattis, Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow". Hoover Institute. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
37. "A singular board at Theranos". Fortune. June 12, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
38. "Can General Mattis Get Elected President? Let's Find Out...". Town Hall. March 28, 2016.
39. "Convocation Will Honor Marine General James Mattis". Washington College. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
40. "Character Bio". HBO. Retrieved April 25, 2010.

39. "The Green Berets who saved Karzai" http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/01/18/the-green-berets-who-saved-karzai.html

External links

• Official Marine Corps biography
• Dickerson, John (April 22, 2010). "A Marine General at War". Slate.com. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
• Appearances on C-SPAN