Bernard E . Trainor Bernard E . Trainor ( born September 2 , 1928 ) is journalist and a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general . He served in the Marine Corps for 39 years in both staff and command capacities . After retiring from the Marine Corps , he began working as the chief military correspondent for the " New York Times " . He is currently a military analyst for NBC and has also written three books . The actress Saxon Trainor is his daughter . Early Life & military career . Bernard E . Trainor was born on September 2 , 1928 in New York City . In 1946 , Trainor enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school and served until his selection as a midshipman in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps ( NROTC ) in 1947 . He then attended the College of the Holy Cross , where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1951 . He then went to The Basic School in Marine Corps Base Quantico , Virginia , and after completion in December 1951 , he was assigned to the 1st Battalion , 1st Marines , 1st Marine Division in Korea where he served as an infantry platoon commander . Returning to the United States in September 1952 , he served with the 8th Marines , 2nd Marine Division , Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . In June , 1953 , he was assigned duties aboard the heavy cruiser USS Columbus ( CA - 74 ) where he served consecutively as executive officer and commanding officer of the ship ' s Marine Detachment . During this two - year tour of duty he was promoted to captain . Following sea duty , Trainor was assigned to the Personnel Department at Headquarters Marine Corps until 1958 . He was then assigned as an exchange officer to the British Royal Marine Commandos . After a period of training in the United Kingdom , he commanded a company in 45 Commando , 3 Commando Brigade on Malta . Upon completion of the exchange tour in 1959 , he reported for duties with the 1st Marine Division , Camp Pendleton , California , where he served consecutively as a company commander in reconnaissance , anti - tank , and infantry battalions . In 1961 he was ordered to duties as an instructor with the NROTC unit at the University of Colorado , where he would also complete a Master of Arts degree in history . He was promoted to major in November , 1961 . His next assignment returned him to Quantico , where he was a student at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College . Ordered to the Republic of Vietnam in July , 1965 , General Trainor was assigned as an advisor to a Vietnamese special operations group . After a year in Vietnam , he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and returned to Quantico where he served for three years as an instructor at the Command and Staff College . In 1969 , Trainor attended the Air War College , Maxwell Air Force Base , Alabama . During his War College course he was awarded the Anderson Memorial Award for the " best paper dealing with politico - military thought " and designated " Distinguished Graduate " upon completion of the course in June 1970 . He then served another tour in the Republic of Vietnam , where he commanded the 1st Battalion , 5th Marines , and later the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the 1st Marine Division . Following his return to the United States in 1971 , Trainor was assigned at Headquarters Marine Corps where he served as a plans officer . During this tour he was promoted to colonel on January 3 , 1972 . From July 1974 through June 1975 , he served as Deputy Director of the 1st Marine Corps District , headquartered in New York . On July 1 , 1975 , he assumed duties as Director and held this post until his advancement to brigadier general , in April 1976 . At this time , he assumed duties as Assistant Depot Commander , Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , South Carolina . On April 14 , 1978 , he assumed the duties of Deputy for Education / Director , Education Center , Marine Corps Development and Education Command , Quantico . During this tour of duty , he was promoted to major general . He was subsequently transferred to Headquarters Marine Corps in April 1981 and assigned duty as Director , Plans Division , Plans , Policies and Operations Department . Upon promotion to lieutenant general on June 15 , 1983 , he was assigned duty as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans , Policies and Operations , Headquarters Marine Corps . He served in this capacity until his retirement on July 1 , 1985 . Journalism career . At present , Gen . Trainor is a military analyst for NBC . He worked for " The New York Times " as chief military correspondent from 1986 to 1990 and at Harvard University ' s John F . Kennedy School of Government as Director of the National Security Program from 1990 to 1996 . Later he was a Senior Fellow for National Security at the Council on Foreign Relations . He and Michael R . Gordon have written three books together : " The Generals ' War " , which covers the 1991 Gulf War , " Cobra II " , which covers the Iraq War begun in 2003 and concludes with " " .