# List of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing commanders

The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Activated in 1941, the wing has seen heavy combat operations during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

## Commanding generals

| # | Name | Rank | Start | End | Notability |
| 1 | WoodsLouis E. Woods | O-04 Lieutenant colonel | 7 July 1941 | 20 August 1941 | Veteran Guadalcanal Campaign, veteran Okinawa Campaign, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; commanding general, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 2 | GeigerRoy S. Geiger | O-04 Colonel | 20 August 1941 | 21 April 1943 | Navy Cross; commanding general Fleet Marine Force, Pacific |
| 3 | MitchellRalph J. Mitchell | O-04 Major general | 21 April 1943 | 1 February 1944 | Navy and Army Distinguished Service Medals; director of Marine Corps Aviation 1939-1943; Distinguished Flying Cross from Nicaraguan Campaign. |
| 4 | MooreJames T. Moore | O-04 Major general | 1 February 1944 | 15 June 1944 | Army Distinguished Service Medals, Legion of Merit; commanded also 4th Marine Aircraft Wing and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 5 | MitchellRalph J. Mitchell | O-04 Major general | 15 June 1944 | 6 June 1945 | Navy and Army Distinguished Service Medals; director of Marine Corps Aviation 1939-1943; Distinguished Flying Cross from Nicaraguan Campaign. |
| 6 | MajorHarold C. Major (Acting) | O-04 Colonel | 6 June 1945 | 11 June 1945 | Legion of Merit |
| 7 | MerrittLewie G. Merritt | O-04 Brigadier general | 11 June 1945 | 11 August 1945 | World War I veteran; director, South Carolina Legislative Council; Citadel alumnus; Merritt Field as MCAS Beaufort is named after him |
| 8 | LarkinClaude A. Larkin | O-04 Major general | 11 August 1945 | 31 October 1945 | Lieutenant general; MAG-21 Commanding Officer at Ewa Field during Pearl Harbor attack |
| 9 | WoodsLouis E. Woods | O-04 Major general | 31 October 1945 | July 1946 | Veteran Guadalcanal Campaign, veteran Okinawa Campaign, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; commanding general, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 10 | SandersonLawson H. M. Sanderson | O-04 Brigadier general | July 1946 | June 1947 | Aviation pioneer, veteran Guadalcanal Campaign, as commanding officer of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Sanderson accepted the Japanese surrender of Wake Island in 1945. |
| 11 | McKittrickWilliam L. McKittrick | O-04 Brigadier general | June 1947 | September 1947 | Veteran Bougainville Campaign and Battle of Saipan; two awards of Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal; commanding general, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 12 | WoodsLouis E. Woods | O-04 Major general | September 1947 | July 1949 | Veteran Guadalcanal Campaign, veteran Okinawa Campaign, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; commanding general, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 13 | HarrisField Harris | O-04 Major general | July 1949 | 27 July 1951 | Graduate U.S. Naval Academy; Lieutenant general; Navy and Army Distinguished Service Medals |
| 14 | SchiltChristian F. Schilt | O-04 Major general | 27 July 1951 | 12 April 1952 | Medal of Honor; General; Veteran World War I, United States occupation of Haiti, United States occupation of Nicaragua, and World War II |
| 15 | JeromeClayton C. Jerome | O-04 Major general | 12 April 1952 | 9 January 1953 | Lieutenant general; commanding general, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 16 | MegeeVernon E. Megee | O-04 Major general | 9 January 1953 | 7 December 1953 | Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; Veteran World War II and Korean War; commanding general Fleet Marine Force Pacific; Air Force Distinguished Service Medal |
| 17 | CooleyAlbert D. Cooley | O-04 Major general | 8 December 1953 | 25 March 1954 | Veteran World War II; commanding general 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; Navy Cross, Bronze Star Medal and Air Medal |
| 18 | McCaulVerne J. McCaul | O-04 Major general | 26 March 1954 | 24 August 1954 | Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; Veteran World War II and Korean War; |
| 19 | DawsonMarion L. Dawson | O-04 Major general | 25 August 1954 | 24 September 1955 | Veteran World War II and Korean War; Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy; |
| 20 | JackSamuel S. Jack | O-04 Major general | 25 September 1955 | 30 June 1956 | Veteran Nicaraguan Campaign, World War II and Korean War; Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy; Recipient of the Navy Cross |
| 21 | O'NeillDavid F. O'Neill | O-04 Brigadier general | 1 July 1956 | 27 November 1956 | Veteran of World War II and Korean War; Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy; Recipient of the two Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal and three Air Medals |
| 22 | BinneyArthur F. Binney | O-04 Major general | 27 November 1956 | December 1957 | Veteran World War II and Korean War; commanding general 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing; graduate U.S. Naval Academy in 1928; |
| 23 | HayesCharles H. Hayes | O-04 Brigadier general | December 1957 | April 1959 | Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; Veteran World War II and Korean War; commanding general 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; graduate U.S. Naval Academy in 1930; |
| 24 | RobertsCarson A. Roberts | O-04 Major general | April 1959 | 1 December 1959 | Veteran World War II and Korean War; commanding general 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; Distinguished Flying Cross; Lieutenant general |
| 25 | MangrumRichard C. Mangrum | O-04 Major general | 1 December 1959 | April 1960 | Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; Veteran World War II and Korean War; Navy Cross; commanding general 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 26 | KierAvery R. Kier | O-04 Brigadier general | April 1960 | June 1961 | Veteran World War II and Korean War; Navy Cross; commanding general 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 27 | CondonJohn P. Condon | O-04 Major general | June 1961 | August 1962 | Veteran World War II and Korean War; commanding general 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; graduate U.S. Naval Academy in 1934; |
| 28 | LeekFrederick E. Leek | O-04 Brigadier general | June 1962 | February 1963 | Commanding general, 1st Marine Division June–July 1961; Assistance Division Commander, 1st Marine Division 1961-1962 |
| 29 | TharinFrank C. Tharin | O-04 Major general | June 1963 | June 1964 | A veteran of Battle of Wake Island;Prisoner of War from December 1941 to September 1945; Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross; Legion of Merit; Purple Heart |
| 30 | FontanaPaul J. Fontana | O-04 Major general | June 1964 | 24 May 1965 | Flying ace with 5 aerial victories; Navy Cross; Distinguished Flying Cross |
| 31 | McCutcheonKeith B. McCutcheon | O-04 Brigadier general | 24 May 1965 | 16 May 1966 | General; Distinguished Flying Cross; Army Silver Star Medal; Commanding Officer Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1); commanding general, III Marine Amphibious Force; McCutcheon Field at MCAS New River, North Carolina is named in his honor. |
| 32 | RobershawLouis Robertshaw | O-04 Major general | 16 May 1966 | June 1967 | Graduate U.S. Naval Academy; captain of the 1935 Naval Academy football team; Inspector General of the Marine Corps |
| 33 | AndersonNorman J. Anderson | O-04 Major general | June 1967 | 21 June 1968 | Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross with three gold stars; Air Medal with two silver stars; graduate UCLA |
| 34 | QuilterCharles J. Quilter | O-04 Major general | 21 June 1968 | 7 July 1969 | |
| 35 | ThrashWilliam G. Thrash | O-04 Major general | 7 July 1969 | 2 July 1970 | Veteran World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War; Prisoner of War from May 1952 to September 1953; Navy Distinguished Service Medal with one gold star; Distinguished Flying Cross |
| 36 | ArmstrongAlan J. Armstrong | O-04 Major general | 2 July 1970 | April 1971 | Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross with gold star |
| 37 | ConleyRobert F. Conley (Acting) | O-04 Brigadier general | April 1971 | June 1971 | Legion of Merit w/ 2 gold stars; Distinguished Flying Cross w/ 3 gold stars; Director of Information |
| 38 | OwensRobert G. Owens Jr. | O-04 Major general | June 1971 | 1 April 1972 | Flying ace with 7 victories; Navy Cross; Distinguished Flying Cross w/ 4 gold stars; commanding general, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 39 | OwensLeslie E. Brown | O-04 Major general | April 1972 | 1 April 1973 | Veteran World War II; Korean War, and Vietnam War; Silver Star with gold star; Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and 2 gold stars; Distinguished Flying Cross; Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V"; Purple Heart with 2 gold stars |
| 40 | LangFrank C. Lang | O-04 Major general | April 1973 | May 1974 | Veteran World War II; Korean War, and Vietnam War; Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and 2 gold stars; Distinguished Flying Cross with 7 stars |
| 41 | ArmstrongVictor A. Armstrong | O-04 Major general | May 1974 | January 1975 | Major general; Veteran World War II; Korean War, and Vietnam War; Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and 2 gold stars; Distinguished Flying Cross with gold star |
| 42 | GourleyNorman W. Gourley | O-04 Major general | January 1975 | 6 January 1976 | Major general; Veteran World War II; Korean War, and Vietnam War; Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and gold stars Distinguished Flying Cross with three gold stars |
| 43 | WhiteWilliam J. White (Acting) | O-04 Brigadier general | 6 January 1976 | 23 February 1976 | Veteran Korean War, and Vietnam War; Legion of Merit with Combat "V"; Distinguished Flying Cross |
| 44 | NewNoah C. New | O-04 Major general | 1976 | 10 February 1978 | Veteran Vietnam War; Legion of Merit with Combat "V"; Distinguished Flying Cross |
| 45 | DavisJohn K. Davis | O-04 Major general | 15 February 1978 | June 1979 | General; Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross; commanding general 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 46 | MaloneyWilliam R. Maloney | O-04 Major general | June 1979 | 2 June 1980 | Lieutenant general; Silver Star; Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross; commanding general 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; commanding general 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing |
| 47 | FitchWilliam H. Fitch | O-04 Major general | 2 June 1980 | 2 June 1982 | Lieutenant general; Silver Star Medal |
| 48 | WentJoseph J. Went | O-04 Major general | 2 June 1982 | 6 May 1983 | Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; General; Veteran Vietnam War |
| 49 | PetersenFrank E. Petersen Jr. | O-04 Major general | 6 May 1983 | 1985 | Lieutenant general; Distinguished Flying Cross; Gray Eagle Award; Man of the Year, NAACP, 1979. |
| 50 | PitmanCharles H. Pitman | O-04 Major general | 12 June 1985 | 9 September 1987 | Lieutenant general; Silver Star Medal |
| 51 | PlastererRoss S. Plasterer | O-04 Major general | 9 September 1987 | September 1989 | Veteran Vietnam War; Legion of Merit; Distinguished Flying Cross |
| 52 | WillsDuane A. Wills | O-04 Brigadier general | 9 September 1989 | August 1990 | Lieutenant general; Veteran Vietnam War; Distinguished Flying Cross; lettered in football at UCLA; |
| 53 | EhlertNorman E. Ehlert | O-04 Major general | 6 August 1990 | January 1991 | Lieutenant general; commanding general, III Marine Expeditionary Force; Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross |
| 54 | BladesArthur C. Blades | O-04 Brigadier general | July 1991 | June 1992 | Silver Star; Distinguished Flying Cross |
| 55 | ForneyWilliam A. Forney | O-04 Brigadier general | June 1992 | 24 June 1994 | Veteran Vietnam War; Legion of Merit |
| 56 | KaramarkovichGeorge M. Karamarkovich | O-04 Brigadier general | 24 June 1994 | May 1996 | Veteran Vietnam War; Defense Superior Service Medal |
| 57 | KnutsonBruce B. Knutson, Jr. | O-04 Major general | May 1996 | April 1998 | Lieutenant general |
| 58 | AndersonJoseph T. Anderson | O-04 Major general | April 1998 | 2000 | Veteran Vietnam War; graduate U.S. Naval Academy; Deputy Director, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum |
| 59 | CartwrightJames E. Cartwright | O-04 Major general | 2000 | 5 August 2002 | General; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; commander, U.S. Strategic Command |
| 60 | GoodmanJohn F. Goodman | O-04 Major general | 5 August 2002 | 3 June 2004 | Lieutenant general; Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Soldiers Medal; Veteran Vietnam War; commander, United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific; director, Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance; former NFL quarterback |
| 61 | ThiessenDuane D. Thiessen | O-04 Major general | 3 June 2004 | 10 June 2005 | |
| 62 | TrautmanGeorge J. Trautman, III | O-04 Major general | 10 June 2005 | 8 June 2007 | |
| 63 | SchmidleRobert E. Schmidle, Jr. | O-04 Brigadier general | 8 June 2007 | 28 July 2008 | |
| 64 | FoxRaymond C. Fox | O-04 Brigadier general | 28 July 2008 | 28 June 2010 | |
| 65 | BeydlerWilliam D. Beydler | O-04 Brigadier general | 28 June 2010 | 22 June 2012 | |
| 66 | OwensChristopher S. Owens | O-04 Brigadier general | 22 June 2012 | 9 July 2013 | |
| 67 | RudderSteven R. Rudder | O-04 Brigadier general | 9 July 2013 | 30 July 2015 | |
| 68 | SanbornRussell A. Sanborn | O-05 Major general | 30 July 2015 | 29 June 2017 | |
| 69 | WeidleyThomas D. Weidley | O-04 Brigadier general | 29 June 2017 | 25 June 2019 | Commanding during the loss of 6 Marines in a mid-air collision between an F/A-18D Hornet and a KC-130J Hercules. Formally rebuked after allowing the investigative officer Colonel Samuel Schoolfield to run an unprofessional JAGMAN investigation into the crash. |
| 70 | McPhillipsChristopher A. McPhillips | O-04 Brigadier general | 25 June 2019 | 11 June 2021 | |
| 71 | CavanaughBrian W. Cavanaugh | O-04 Major general | 11 June 2021 | 12 August 2022 | |
| 72 | AustinEric E. Austin | O-04 Major general | 12 August 2022 | 12 July 2024 | |
| 73 | AnnibaleMarcus B. Annibale | O-04 Major general | 12 July 2024 | Incumbent | |