William L . Nyland William L . " Spider " Nyland ( born October 2 , 1946 ) , a veteran of the Vietnam War , is a retired United States Marine Corps four - star General who served as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2002 to 2005 . He retired from the Marine Corps in November 2005 after over 37 years of distinguished service . Marine Corps career . Nyland was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps under the Naval ROTC program upon graduation in 1968 from the University of New Mexico . In addition to attaining a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California , his formal military education includes The Basic School ( 1968 ) , Naval Aviation Flight Training ( NFO ) ( 1969 ) , Amphibious Warfare School ( 1975 ) , Navy Fighter Weapons School ( TOPGUN ) ( 1977 ) , College of Naval Command and Staff , Naval War College ( 1981 ) , and the Air War College ( 1988 ) . He was advanced to First Lieutenant on September 5 , 1969 , Captain on February 1 , 1972 , Major on September 1 , 1978 , and Lieutenant Colonel on April 1 , 1984 . After being assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 351 ( VMFA - 531 ) , he was ordered to Vietnam , where he flew 122 combat missions with VMFA - 314 and VMFA - 115 . His other tours included : Instructor RIO , Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 ( VMFAT - 101 ) ; Squadron Assistant Operations Officer and Operations Officer , VMFA - 115 ; and Brigade FORSTAT and Electronic Warfare Officer , 1st Marine Brigade . He also served as Operations Officer and Director of Safety and Standardization , VMFA - 212 ; Aviation Safety Officer and Congressional Liaison / Budget Officer , Headquarters , U . S . Marine Corps , Washington , D . C . ; and Operations Officer , Marine Aircraft Group 24 , 1st Marine Amphibious Brigade . He commanded VMFA - 232 , the Marine Corps ' oldest and most decorated fighter squadron , from July 1985 to July 1987 . Lieutenant Colonel Nyland subsequently served as section chief for the Central Command Section , European Command / Central Command Branch , Joint Operations Division , Directorate of Operations ( J - 3 ) , Joint Staff , Washington , D . C . He was promoted to Colonel on February 1 , 1990 . In July 1990 , Colonel Nyland assumed command of Marine Aviation Training Support Group Pensacola , Florida . Following his command of MATSG , he assumed duties as Chief of Staff , 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 2MAW ) on July 5 , 1992 , and assumed additional duties as Assistant Wing Commander on November 10 , 1992 . He was promoted to Brigadier General on September 1 , 1994 and was assigned as Assistant Wing Commander , 2MAW , serving in that billet until December 1 , 1995 . Brigadier General Nyland served next on the Joint Staff , J - 8 , as the Deputy Director for Force Structure and Resources , completing that tour on June 30 , 1997 . He was advanced to Major General on July 2 , 1997 , and assumed duties as the Deputy Commanding General , II Marine Expeditionary Force , Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . He then served as the Commanding General , 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing , from July 1998 to June 2000 . He was advanced to Lieutenant General on June 30 , 2000 and assumed duties as the Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources , Headquarters , U . S . Marine Corps . He next assumed duties as the Deputy Commandant for Aviation on August 3 , 2001 . He was advanced to General on September 4 , 2002 , and assumed his duties as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps on September 10 , 2002 . General Nyland served as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps , Headquarters Marine Corps , Washington D . C . , from September 2002 until September 7 , 2005 . He retired from active duty on November 1 , 2005 . Awards . His personal decorations include : In retirement . As of August 2006 , General Nyland serves as Deputy Director for Defense Research and Development for the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition ( IHMC ) . General Nyland also serves as Chairman of Toys for Tots and on the Board of Directors for FreeLinc .