Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General (United States)

In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

 Guy Carleton Swan III (born January 28, 1954) of the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 is the Commanding General United States Army North

United States Army North

United States Army North, or the Fifth Army, is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army. It is responsible for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities as the joint force land component command of United States Northern Command.-History:The Fifth United States...

 (USARNORTH), based out of Fort Sam Houston

Fort Sam Houston

Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

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Swan grew up in the Pines Lake

Pines Lake, New Jersey

Pines Lake is a lake community in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Pines Lake was started as a vacation community around a man-made lake approximately 1.5 miles long and a half mile wide in the 1920s. Many of the original homes were modified log cabins...

 neighborhood of Wayne, New Jersey

Wayne, New Jersey

Wayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than from midtown Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,069....

, where he attended Wayne Hills High School

Wayne Hills High School

Wayne Hills High School is a comprehensive community public high school, in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as one of the two high schools that are part of the Wayne Public Schools...

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Military career

Swan was commissioned as an armor officer from the United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 at West Point, New York

West Point, New York

West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...

, in June 1976. After graduation and initial officer training, he served in Korea as a tank platoon leader in the 2nd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 72nd Armor. Upon returning to the United States in 1978, he joined the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss

Fort Bliss

Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...

, Texas, serving as a cavalry platoon leader, troop executive officer, and squadron adjutant.

From 1982 to 1985 he was the commanding officer of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment

77th Armor Regiment (United States)

The 77th Armor is an armored regiment of the United States Army. The 77th Armor Regiment is part of the U.S. Army Regimental System with only a single battalion, the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, and is therefore classified as both a single battalion, and the remainder of the Regiment itself...

 at Fort Lewis

Fort Lewis

Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....

, Washington, and later served as aide-de-camp to the commanding general, 9th Infantry Division (Motorized). From 1985 to 1987 Swan served as an Armor Branch assignment officer in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

. He graduated from the US Army Command and General Staff College

Command and General Staff College

The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...

 at Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...

, Kansas, in 1988 and from the School of Advanced Military Studies in 1989.

Swan then served as the chief, G3 Plans for the 1st Armored Division

1st Armored Division (United States)

The 1st Armored Division—nicknamed "Old Ironsides"—is a standing armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Bliss, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S...

, VII Corps, US Army Europe and Seventh Army in Ansbach, Germany, and later as the division's deputy G3 (Operations) in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

. In 1991 he returned to the cavalry, joining the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse), V Corps, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army where he served as the executive officer of the 1st Squadron in Kuwait during Operation Positive Force, and as the regimental executive officer in Fulda, Germany

Fulda Gap

The Fulda Gap is a region of lower elevation between the former East German border and Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Named for the town of Fulda, the Fulda Gap was strategically important during the Cold War...

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Swan commanded the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank unit, in the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart

Fort Stewart

Fort Stewart is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily in Liberty County and Bryan County, but also extending into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties in Georgia, USA. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census...

, Ga., from July 1993 to July 1995. He then completed a year-long National Security Fellowship at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government

John F. Kennedy School of Government

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...

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From June 1996 to June 1998 Swan was the regimental commander for the 2500-soldier 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse), serving as the 57th colonel of the regiment and as the commander of the Opposing Forces (OPFOR) at the US Army's National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California.

Swan served at the Pentagon

The Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...

 in Washington, D.C., from June 1998 to August 2000 as the assistant deputy director for strategy and policy (J-5) for the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...

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He took up a training mission again, this time as commanding general of the 7th Army Training Command

Grafenwöhr

Grafenwöhr is a town in the district Neustadt , in the region of the Upper Palatinate in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwöhr Training Area, located directly south and west of the town.- Early History:The...

 (7th ATC), which he led from September 2000 to August 2002 at the Grafenwoehr/Hohenfels Training Area in Upper Bavaria, Germany. In that capacity, he was responsible for supporting the military training readiness of the 65,000 US Army Soldiers based in Europe.

Returning to Washington, D.C., Swan became the Army's "pointman" on Capitol Hill, serving as the Army's Chief of Legislative Liaison from August 2002 to July 2005. Prior to his assignment to USNORTHCOM, Swan was the commanding general of the Military District of Washington (CG/MDW) and Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region

Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region

Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region is directly responsible for the homeland security and defense of the Washington D.C. area as well as surrounding counties in Virginia and Maryland...

 (JFHQ-NCR) from July 21, 2005 through June 5, 2007.

As CG MDW/JFHQ-NCR, Swan became a known figure when he escorted Betty Ford

Betty Ford

Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford , better known as Betty Ford, was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 during the presidency of her husband Gerald Ford...

 during the nine days in December 2006 and January 2007 that marked the death and state funeral of her husband, former U.S. president Gerald Ford

Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford

On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, at 6:45 p.m. local time . At 8:49 p.m...

. His immediate predecessor, Major General Galen B. Jackman

Galen B. Jackman

Galen Bruce Jackman is a retired United States Army Major General. His last assignment in the Army was serving in the Pentagon as the Army's Chief of Legislative Liaison. The Office, Chief of Legislative Liaison operates directly under the Office of the Secretary of the Army. Its mission is to...

, escorted former First Lady

First Lady of the United States

First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...

 Nancy Reagan

Nancy Reagan

Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....

 at the state funeral of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan

Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan

On June 5, 2004, Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, died after having suffered from Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade. His seven-day state funeral followed, spanning June 5–11...

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Qualifications and decorations

Swan holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

 and a Master of Military Art and Science degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal

Defense Superior Service Medal

The Defense Superior Service Medal is a senior United States military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States armed forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility."...

, the Legion of Merit

Legion of Merit

The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...

, the Bronze Star

Bronze Star Medal

The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...

 , the Ranger Tab

Ranger Tab

The Ranger Tab is a service school military decoration of the United States Army signifying completion of the 61-day long Ranger School course in small-unit infantry combat tactics in woodland, mountain, and swamp operations. In December 2009 a British NCO earned the Ranger tab...

, the Parachutist Badge

Parachutist Badge (United States)

The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" or "Snow Cone", is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy...

, and he is a holder of the United States Armor Association

United States Armor Association

The United States Armor Association is a non-profit organization with over 6,000 members dedicated to disseminating knowledge of the military art and sciences, with special attention to mobility in ground warfare.-History:...

's Honorable Order of St. George

Saint George Award

The Saint George Award, formally the Order of Saint George Medallion, is the top award given to members of the Army's mounted force by the United States Armor Association of the United States Army...

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• Information courtesy of MDW Homepage