Richard I . Neal Richard I . Neal ( born June 20 , 1942 ) is a retired United States Marine Corps four - star general who served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps ( ACMC ) from 1996 to 1998 . Biography . Richard I . Neal born on June 20 , 1942 , in Hull , Massachusetts . He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U . S . Marine Corps upon graduation in 1965 from Northeastern University , where he received a B . S . degree in History and Education . He later earned a Master of Arts degree in Education from Tulane University ( 1973 ) . Following completion of The Basic School and subsequently the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill , Oklahoma , Neal was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division in Republic of Vietnam , where he served as a Forward Observer with the 3rd Battalion 9th Marines . He returned to Vietnam in January 1970 , where he was assigned as an Infantry Battalion Advisor to the Vietnamese Marine Corps . Upon his return he attended Amphibious Warfare School . In 1973 , he served as the Commanding Officer of the 2d 155 Howitzer Battery , 2d Field Artillery Group at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . Following a tour as head of the Company Grade Assignment Section at Headquarters Marine Corps , he attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College . He served on the Air - Ground Exchange Program as S - 3 , Marine Aircraft Group 36 , on Okinawa . Upon return from overseas , General Neal was assigned as the Head , Operations Division , Amphibious Warfare School , Quantico . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1981 . In 1982 , he was selected to attend the National War College in Washington , D . C . Upon completion of school , he returned to Camp Lejeune to command the 5th Battalion , 10th Marines . Neal was promoted to colonel in 1985 and was assigned to the United States Central Command , MacDill Air Force Base , Florida , as the Chief of Policy / Strategy Division and later as the Chief of the Special Projects Division in the J - 5 Directorate . Neal was assigned duty as Director , Amphibious Warfare School , Quantico in August 1988 . While serving in this capacity he was selected for promotion to brigadier general in December 1989 . In July 1990 , Neal was advanced to brigadier general and assigned duty as the Director , Manpower Plans and Policy Division , Manpower and Reserve Affairs Department . He served in this capacity until May 1992 . From September 1990 to April 1991 , he was assigned temporary duty as the Deputy for Operations at U . S . Central Command for Operations Desert Shield / Desert Storm . Neal was assigned as the Deputy Commanding General , II MEF in June 1992 . From June 1992 - August 1992 , he served as Commanding General , Joint Task Force for Operations GITMO , a humanitarian relief effort for Haitian migrants at Guantanamo Naval Base , Cuba . Neal was advanced to major general in April 1993 , and assigned as the Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Division . In August 1994 , he was assigned as the Deputy Commander in Chief / Chief of Staff , U . S . Central Command , MacDill AFB , and advanced to lieutenant general in October 1994 . Neal was promoted to four - star rank on September 19 , 1996 and assumed duties as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps on September 27 , 1996 . He retired on November 1 , 1998 . Since retiring from the Marine Corps , Neal has served on various corporate boards and has been associated with intellectual property rights in the private sector and defense - related companies . He is president of Audio MPEG , a patent licensing company . He has served on the Board of Directors of Humanetics Corporation , a pharmaceutical company , since January 2006 . Neal served as the Chairman of the Board of the Military Officers Association of America — for a two - year term from November 2008 to November 2010 . Neal had previously served on the MOAA Board for four years . Awards . His personal decorations include :