George B . Crist George B . Crist ( born January 23 , 1931 ) is a retired four - star General of the United States Marine Corps and was the first Marine to be designated as a Unified Commander — serving as Commander in Chief , United States Central Command from 1985 to 1988 Biography . George B . Crist was born on January 23 , 1931 , in Hartford , Connecticut . His father was a career Navy officer . Crist graduated cum laude from Villanova University in 1952 , where he was in the NROTC . Later , he received an honorary doctorate from Villanova ; and he was honored with Villanova ' s Alumni Medallion in 1981 . Marine Corps career . Crist was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U . S . Marine Corps in 1952 . While a lieutenant , he served in all three active duty Marine Divisions . During the Korean War , he served with the 1st Marine Division in Korea . He returned to the States in 1955 , was promoted to captain and ordered to Marine Barracks , Washington , D . C . , where he served as a White House aide under President Eisenhower . In 1959 , he graduated from the Advanced Infantry Officers ' School , Fort Benning , Georgia , and joined the newly formed U . S . Naval Mission to the Republic of Haiti . By 1963 , Crist had returned to the 2nd Marine Division , where he deployed with an infantry battalion to the Caribbean during the Cuban missile crisis . Later , as Assistant Division G - 3 , he completed airborne training at Fort Benning . His first tour in Vietnam came in 1965 . As an advisor to the Vietnamese Joint General Staff , he participated in combat operations throughout the Republic . In 1966 , he became aide - de - camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . While in that assignment he was promoted to lieutenant colonel . Following his graduation from the Armed Forces Staff College in 1968 , he commanded the 2nd Battalion , 6th Marines at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . In 1971 , he completed the Air War College as a distinguished graduate , concurrently receiving a Master ' s Degree in Political Science from Auburn University . The next year he returned to the Far East , serving first as a battalion commander in the 3rd Marine Division and then with the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade , assisting in the defense of South Vietnam during the 1972 North Vietnamese offensive . When he returned to the U . S , he spent three years at Headquarters Marine Corps in Plans and Programs . While in Washington , he was promoted to colonel . In the summer of 1975 , Crist was ordered to Headquarters , Fleet Marine Force ( FMF ) , Atlantic , Norfolk , Virginia , where he served as Assistant Chief of Staff , G - 3 , Chief of Staff , and following his promotion to brigadier general , as Deputy Commander . In 1978 , he was transferred to Europe as the Deputy Director of Operations ( J - 3 ) , U . S . European Command , where he was actively involved in a series of crisis actions ranging from Iran to Africa . In 1980 , Crist was promoted to major general and returned to the United States as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reserve Affairs . This was followed two years later by a tour with the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Vice Director , Joint Staff . In 1984 , he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations and Logistics and Quartermaster General and then as Chief of Staff , Headquarters Marine Corps . Crist was promoted to the grade of general in November 1985 , and on November 27 , 1985 , he assumed command of the U . S . Central Command ( CENTCOM ) , MacDill Air Force Base , Florida . At CENTCOM , he helped to run Operation Earnest Will , the escort of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers ; Operation Prime Chance , the secret actions against Iranian naval forces ; and Operation Praying Mantis , the April 18 , 1988 retaliation for the Iranian mining of the USS " Samuel B . Roberts " . General Crist retired from active duty in December 1988 after more than 36 years of service . Following retirement , he became a military consultant for CBS news in 1990 , appearing on national television and radio throughout the Gulf War and during subsequent crises in Africa and the Middle East . The general and his wife Barbara moved to Beaufort , SC in 1990 after they restored an old house in the Historic District He has earned a BA , cum laude , from Villanova University , an MS in Political Science from Auburn University , and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Military Science by Villanova University . His military decorations include two awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , the Defense Superior Service Medal , the Legion of Merit , the Bronze Star Medal , two individual awards of the Air Medal , and the Joint Service Commendation Medal . Foreign decorations include the Egyptian Meritorious Badge of Honor of the First Degree , the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with silver and bronze stars , and the Vietnamese Honor Medal . General Crist is married to the former Barbara Clay and they have two sons , William and David . Awards and decorations . His military decorations include :