A Marine Family
| Lieutenant General Emerson N. Gardner Jr. Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources |
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| Lieutenant General Gardner is currently assigned as the Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources at Headquarters, Marine Corps. Lieutenant General Gardner is a 1973 cum laude graduate of Duke University; he was named an Olmsted Scholar for 1978 and studied history and political science for two years at Goettingen, Germany. He is a graduate of The Basic School, Defense Language Institute, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Armed Forces Staff College, the Norwegian Defense College and the National Security Leadership Course at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. A Naval aviator since 1974, Lieutenant General Gardner has served as a helicopter pilot in all three Marine Air Wings. At HMX-1 from 1980-1985 he was a White House Liaison Officer and Presidential Helicopter Command Pilot. As Commanding Officer of HMM-261 from 1989-1991, Lieutenant General Gardner led the Raging Bulls in Operation Sharp Edge, the evacuation of Liberia, and Operations Desert Shield and Storm. He has more than 4,300 flight hours in most of the aircraft currently in the Marine Corps inventory. Lieutenant General Gardner served as Commanding Officer of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) for two deployment cycles to the Mediterranean from 1996 to 1998. During his tour the MEU conducted Operation Silver Wake, the non-combatant evacuation (NEO) of Albania, Operation Guardian Retrieval, contingency support for a NEO of Kinshasa, Zaire and Dynamic Response, the first employment of SACEUR's Strategic Reserve into Bosnia. As a staff officer, Lieutenant General Gardner has served as G-3 Current Ops Officer with the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade in Okinawa, Deputy G3 for II Marine Expeditionary Force and as the J-3 (Operations Officer) for the Standing Joint Task Force, MARFORLANT. From 1993-1995 he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Logistics at Allied Forces Northern Europe at Kolsas, Norway and at Allied Forces Northwestern Europe, in High Wycombe, England. From 1998-2000 he served as Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation at Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington DC. His tour as the Deputy Commander of US Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic from 2000-2002 included extended temporary additional duty as the Deputy J-3 for Current Operations at US Central Command in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Most recently General Gardner was the Director for Operations, J3 at US Pacific Command. Lieutenant General Gardner's awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Gold Star in lieu of second award, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of second award, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Strike Numeral "1", Navy Commendation Medal and Presidential Service Badge. (Revised September 16, 2005) |
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Great story. Thanks.