# Gary L. Thomas (general)

Gary Lee Thomas (born 1962) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general. He was most recently the 35th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. Gen Thomas is a naval aviator who flew the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet and participated in combat operations during the Gulf War, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the War in Afghanistan. He has commanded at the squadron and Wing level and also led Marine Corps aviation's weapons school. Thomas is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and National Defense University.

## Biography
### Early years

Thomas graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in computer science and was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant.

### Military career

ol Thomas took command of VMFA-323 on October 27, 2001, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The squadron deployed as the lone Marine fighter squadron on board the USS Constellation (CV-64) in November 2002. During this deployment, the squadron supported combat operations during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Thomas turned over command of the squadron on June 13, 2003. Following his command tour, he attended National Defense University and graduated with an M.S. in National Security Strategy in June 2004.
As a Colonel, he commanded Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1). As a Brigadier General, he served as the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation, and later as the Assistant Wing Commander of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing He was the Commanding General of 2d Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) in Afghanistan from February to December 2013. He later served as the Commanding General of 2d Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
On June 21, 2018, LtGen Thomas was nominated for appointment to the rank of General and to serve as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. Thomas was the 35th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.
He retired from active duty at the end of his term as assistant commandant, and his retirement ceremony was held on October 15, 2021.

## Awards and decorations

Thomas' decorations and medals include:
Naval Aviator Badge :
| Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster | Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster | Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster | Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster | Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster | Legion of Merit | Legion of Merit | Legion of Merit | Legion of Merit | Legion of Merit | Legion of Merit | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal | Bronze Star Medal |
| Meritorious Service Medal with three gold award stars | Meritorious Service Medal with three gold award stars | Meritorious Service Medal with three gold award stars | Meritorious Service Medal with three gold award stars | Air Medal with Combat "V", two gold award numerals and bronze Strike/Flight numeral 6 | Air Medal with Combat "V", two gold award numerals and bronze Strike/Flight numeral 6 | Air Medal with Combat "V", two gold award numerals and bronze Strike/Flight numeral 6 | Air Medal with Combat "V", two gold award numerals and bronze Strike/Flight numeral 6 | Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and award star | Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and award star | Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and award star | Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and award star | Joint Service Achievement Medal | Joint Service Achievement Medal | Joint Service Achievement Medal | Joint Service Achievement Medal |
| Navy Achievement Medal | Navy Achievement Medal | Navy Achievement Medal | Navy Achievement Medal | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster | Navy Unit Commendation with one bronze service star | Navy Unit Commendation with one bronze service star | Navy Unit Commendation with one bronze service star | Navy Unit Commendation with one bronze service star | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with three service stars | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with three service stars | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with three service stars | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with three service stars |
| National Defense Service Medal with service star | National Defense Service Medal with service star | National Defense Service Medal with service star | National Defense Service Medal with service star | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Southwest Asia Service Medal with two service stars | Southwest Asia Service Medal with two service stars | Southwest Asia Service Medal with two service stars | Southwest Asia Service Medal with two service stars | Afghanistan Campaign Medal with service star | Afghanistan Campaign Medal with service star | Afghanistan Campaign Medal with service star | Afghanistan Campaign Medal with service star |
| Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Armed Forces Service Medal | Armed Forces Service Medal | Armed Forces Service Medal | Armed Forces Service Medal | Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four service stars | Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four service stars | Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four service stars | Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four service stars |
| Navy Arctic Service Ribbon | Navy Arctic Service Ribbon | Navy Arctic Service Ribbon | Navy Arctic Service Ribbon | NATO Medal for service with ISAF | NATO Medal for service with ISAF | NATO Medal for service with ISAF | NATO Medal for service with ISAF | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) |
| Rifle Expert Badge | Rifle Expert Badge | Rifle Expert Badge | Rifle Expert Badge | Rifle Expert Badge | Rifle Expert Badge | Rifle Expert Badge | Rifle Expert Badge | Pistol Expert Badge | Pistol Expert Badge | Pistol Expert Badge | Pistol Expert Badge | Pistol Expert Badge | Pistol Expert Badge | Pistol Expert Badge | Pistol Expert Badge |
| Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge ||||||||||||||||

## Personal life

In January 2022, Thomas was appointed board chairman of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. He is the former CEO and current board member of Draken International, LLC. In April 2023, Thomas was appointed CEO of Paradigm MedSolutions LLC.