James L. Williams
Encyclopedia
Major General James Williams (Ret.) was the Commanding General of the 4th Marine Division, a position he was appointed to in April 2007.
His previous position was as the Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division which began in November 2006. His previous assignment was as Deputy Commanding General (Mobilization), Marine Corps Combat Development Command. He also served during combat operations as the Assistant Division Commander, 2d Marine Division from 2005–2006, at Camp Blue Diamond
, Ar-Ramadi, Iraq, and earlier with I Marine Expeditionary Force
as the Deputy Commanding General in Fallujah, Iraq
. He also serves on the SecDef
Reserve Force
Policy Board.
Major General
Williams was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
. His formative years were spent in Reading and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. He received a B.S degree from Slippery Rock University
, in 1975. He reported to Officer Candidate School
in January 1976, and received his commission in March 1976. He received Master's degrees from Georgetown University
in Government and National Security
Affairs in 1981, from Yale University
in Hospital Management/Public Health in 1984, and from the U.S. Army War College
in International Security
Studies in 2000. Currently, he is in the process of working on his Master's Degree in Computer Engineering
and Computer Science.
Upon completion of The Basic School
, Quantico, VA
, in 1976, he did a short tour with the Officer Selection Office in Pittsburgh, PA
. He was subsequently assigned in 1976 to the 3rd Marine Division to serve with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines
serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader
and the Super Squad Platoon.
Returning from overseas in January 1978, he reported to 2nd Force Troops (now 2nd Marine Logistics Group
), as the Assistant Command Inspector. He was then assigned to 2nd Force Reconnaissance
Company as a Force Recon Platoon Leader and deployed several times for NATO exercises. During this period he attended reconnaissance training schools.
In 1979, he was transferred to Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. He was promoted to Captain in 1980. During this tour he served as Ceremonial Platoon Leader; White House
Presidential Military Social Aide to Presidents Carter and Reagan; coach of the Barracks boxing team; Head, The Basic School Correspondence Course
, Marine Corps Institute; and attended graduate school at Georgetown University from 1979 to 1981. He completed the Amphibious Warfare
Non-Resident Course in 1980.
In 1981, he was assigned to the Reserve component of the Marine Corps and was assigned to duty with the 14th Marines where he served with 2nd Battalion, 14th Marines
, 4th Marine Division as a Forward Observer
, Battery Executive Officer
, Battery Commanding Officer
, and Battalion Logistics Officer. While with the 14th Marines, in 1986, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Junior Marine Corps Reserve Officer Award presented by the Reserve Officers Association. He was promoted to Major in 1987. He also completed graduate school at Yale University during this period.
He was then assigned to the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion
in 1988, where he served as the Battalion Operations and Training Officer, Battalion Diving Officer, and Executive Officer. During 1990-1991, the Battalion was called to duty for Operation Desert Shield/Storm. One reconnaissance company was assigned to lead the reconnaissance efforts for both the 1st and 2nd Divisions in their attacks on Iraq. The remainder of the Battalion was assigned to conduct counter-narcotics operations in CONUS and OCONUS
. In 1991, he attended the Marine Corps Reserve Command and Staff College
Course as a student.
In 1992, he completed school and was assigned to the 4th Marine Division as Assistant Operations Officer. In 1993, he completed the Air Command and Staff College
Reserve Component Course. In October 1993, he was assigned as the Assistant G-6. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
in 1994. In 1995, he was assigned as Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines. In 1997, the battalion was assigned to the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division for Kernal Blitz '97. He was selected in 1997, to attend the U.S. Army War College Distant Education Program. He was promoted to Colonel in 1998.
He was then selected and assigned to be the Deputy Commander, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element (I MACE) in 2000. In 2000, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College. In 2002, while in this assignment he was assigned as the Deputy Director, Operations CJTF-180, conducting combat operations in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. He was selected for promotion to Brigadier General
2003.
From 2003-2005 he served as the Commander, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element (I MACE), during this period he served as the Acting Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.
. The ABPS is the third largest nationally recognized physician multi-specialty certifying organization. For more information about the American Board of Disaster Medicine visit www.abodm.org.
His previous position was as the Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division which began in November 2006. His previous assignment was as Deputy Commanding General (Mobilization), Marine Corps Combat Development Command. He also served during combat operations as the Assistant Division Commander, 2d Marine Division from 2005–2006, at Camp Blue Diamond
Blue Diamond
Blue Diamond may refer to:* "Blue Diamond", a song recorded by Gene Summers, first in 1963, on Donnybrook Records. The song title should have read Big Blue Diamonds and was later corrected when the recording was issued on Capri Records and then Jamie Records.* A blue diamond, the most famous...
, Ar-Ramadi, Iraq, and earlier with I Marine Expeditionary Force
1st Marine Expeditionary Force
The I Marine Expeditionary Force is a Marine Air Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group...
as the Deputy Commanding General in Fallujah, Iraq
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
. He also serves on the SecDef
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Reserve Force
Military reserve force
A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
Policy Board.
Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Williams was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
. His formative years were spent in Reading and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. He received a B.S degree from Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a public, master's-level university that offers some doctoral programs in cooperation with Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Both institutions are members of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education...
, in 1975. He reported to Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
in January 1976, and received his commission in March 1976. He received Master's degrees 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...
in Government and National Security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
Affairs in 1981, from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in Hospital Management/Public Health in 1984, and from the U.S. Army War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
in International Security
International Security
International Security is a peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of international and national security. It was founded in 1976 and is edited by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and published four times a year by MIT Press, both of Cambridge,...
Studies in 2000. Currently, he is in the process of working on his Master's Degree in Computer Engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
and Computer Science.
Upon completion of The Basic School
Basic School
The Basic School is where all newly commissioned United States Marine Corps officers are sent to learn the art and science of being an Officer of Marines. TBS currently lasts 26 weeks. During those 26 weeks, the new officers are given extensive classroom, field, and practical application training...
, Quantico, VA
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...
, in 1976, he did a short tour with the Officer Selection Office in Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He was subsequently assigned in 1976 to the 3rd Marine Division to serve with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines
3rd Battalion 9th Marines
The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I it served until the early 1990s when it was redesignated as 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines during a realignment and renumbering of the Marine Corps' infantry battalions, following the...
serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
and the Super Squad Platoon.
Returning from overseas in January 1978, he reported to 2nd Force Troops (now 2nd Marine Logistics Group
2nd Marine Logistics Group
The 2nd Marine Logistics Group is a logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. 2nd MLG was formerly known as 2nd Force Service Support Group , reorganized with its sister FSSGs into Marine Logistics Groups in 2005...
), as the Assistant Command Inspector. He was then assigned to 2nd Force Reconnaissance
United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
The Force Reconnaissance Companies , are one of the United States Marine Corps's special operations "capable" forces that provide essential elements of military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force ; supporting the landing or joint task force commanders, and...
Company as a Force Recon Platoon Leader and deployed several times for NATO exercises. During this period he attended reconnaissance training schools.
In 1979, he was transferred to Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. He was promoted to Captain in 1980. During this tour he served as Ceremonial Platoon Leader; White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Presidential Military Social Aide to Presidents Carter and Reagan; coach of the Barracks boxing team; Head, The Basic School Correspondence Course
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
, Marine Corps Institute; and attended graduate school at Georgetown University from 1979 to 1981. He completed the Amphibious Warfare
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
Non-Resident Course in 1980.
In 1981, he was assigned to the Reserve component of the Marine Corps and was assigned to duty with the 14th Marines where he served with 2nd Battalion, 14th Marines
2nd Battalion 14th Marines
2nd Battalion, 14th Marines is a reserve artillery battalion comprising three firing batteries and a headquarters battery. The battalion is based in Grand Prairie, Texas and as of early 2006 has become the first fully operational HIMARS battery in the Marine Corps-Mission:Augment and reinforce...
, 4th Marine Division as a Forward Observer
Artillery observer
A military artillery observer or spotter is responsible for directing artillery fire and close air support onto enemy positions. Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located tens of miles away...
, Battery Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
, Battery Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
, and Battalion Logistics Officer. While with the 14th Marines, in 1986, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Junior Marine Corps Reserve Officer Award presented by the Reserve Officers Association. He was promoted to Major in 1987. He also completed graduate school at Yale University during this period.
He was then assigned to the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion
4th Reconnaissance Battalion
The 4th Reconnaissance Battalion is a reserve reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. It falls under the 4th Marine Division and Marine Forces Reserve.-Organization:...
in 1988, where he served as the Battalion Operations and Training Officer, Battalion Diving Officer, and Executive Officer. During 1990-1991, the Battalion was called to duty for Operation Desert Shield/Storm. One reconnaissance company was assigned to lead the reconnaissance efforts for both the 1st and 2nd Divisions in their attacks on Iraq. The remainder of the Battalion was assigned to conduct counter-narcotics operations in CONUS and OCONUS
Military slang
Military slang is an array of colloquial terminology used commonly by military personnel, including slang which is unique to or originates with the armed forces. It often takes the form of abbreviations/acronyms or derivations of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, or otherwise incorporates aspects of...
. In 1991, he attended the Marine Corps Reserve Command and Staff College
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
Course as a student.
In 1992, he completed school and was assigned to the 4th Marine Division as Assistant Operations Officer. In 1993, he completed the Air Command and Staff College
Air Command and Staff College
The Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
Reserve Component Course. In October 1993, he was assigned as the Assistant G-6. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in 1994. In 1995, he was assigned as Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines. In 1997, the battalion was assigned to the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division for Kernal Blitz '97. He was selected in 1997, to attend the U.S. Army War College Distant Education Program. He was promoted to Colonel in 1998.
He was then selected and assigned to be the Deputy Commander, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element (I MACE) in 2000. In 2000, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College. In 2002, while in this assignment he was assigned as the Deputy Director, Operations CJTF-180, conducting combat operations in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. He was selected for promotion to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
2003.
From 2003-2005 he served as the Commander, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element (I MACE), during this period he served as the Acting Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.
American Board of Disaster Medicine
In 2009, Williams was appointed a Public Board Member of the American Board of Disaster Medicine (ABODM). The ABODM, found in 2006, is a Member Board of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), headquartered in Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. The ABPS is the third largest nationally recognized physician multi-specialty certifying organization. For more information about the American Board of Disaster Medicine visit www.abodm.org.