Paul X . Kelley Paul Xavier Kelley ( born November 11 , 1928 ) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 28th Commandant of the U . S . Marine Corps , from July 1 , 1983 to June 30 , 1987 . Kelley served 37 years active duty in the Marine Corps . After his commission in 1950 , he served as an infantry officer in a wide variety of billets . His first assignment after receiving his commission through Villanova College ' s Naval ROTC program was with Aircraft Engineering Squadron 12 ( AES - 12 ) at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico , Virginia . He then served as an exchange officer with the Royal Marines . He then joined the Marine Force Reconnaissance community and served with distinction during the Vietnam War . His final assignments were as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and then Commandant of the Marine Corps until his retirement in 1987 . Following his retirement from the Marine Corps , Kelley has served on a number of corporate boards . Biography . Paul Kelley was born on November 11 , 1928 in Boston , Massachusetts . He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Villanova University in 1950 . Kelley was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U . S . Marine Corps in June 1950 . After The Basic School in March 1951 , he served with the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina as an infantry officer in a wide variety of billets , including his first assignment to Aircraft Engineering Squadron - 12 ( AES - 12 ) out of Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia . In September 1952 , he was assigned to the where he served for 20 months , first as Executive Officer and then as Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment on the " Salem " . In December 1953 , he was promoted to captain . From July 1956 to December 1957 , Kelley served as the Special Assistant to the Director of Personnel at Headquarters Marine Corps , Washington , D . C . . He then completed the Airborne Pathfinder School at Fort Benning , Georgia . In February 1958 , he was assigned to the newly activated 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company , Force Troops , Fleet Marine Force , Atlantic , Camp Lejeune , when he served as the Executive Officer and then Commanding Officer . From September 1960 to May 1961 , he was the U . S . Marine Corps Exchange Officer with the British Royal Marines , becoming one of the few foreigners to earn the Royal Marines Commandos ' coveted green beret . During this tour , he attended the Commando Course in England , served as Assistant Operations Officer with 45 Commando in Aden , and as Commander " C " Troop , 42 Commando in Singapore , Malaya and Borneo . On March 1 , 1961 , he was promoted to major . From June 1964 until August 1965 , Kelley became Commanding Officer , Marine Barracks , Newport , R . I . In 1965 , he deployed to Vietnam . He first served as the Combat Intelligence Officer for the 3rd Marine Amphibious Force , FMF , Pacific . Following this assignment , he served as the Commanding Officer , 2nd Battalion , 4th Marine Regiment in combat . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on January 20 , 1966 . During his tour as battalion commander , he earned the Silver Star , the Legion of Merit with Valor device and two awards of the Bronze Star with Valor device . Four years later , 1970 to 1971 , Kelley commanded the 1st Marines , which was the last Marine regiment in combat in Vietnam ; earning a second Legion of Merit . In 1974 , Kelley was promoted to the rank of brigadier general . As a general officer , he served as Commanding General of the 4th Marine Division , Fleet Marine Force ; Director , Marine Corps Development Center ; Director , Marine Corps Education Center ; and Deputy Chief of Staff for Requirements and Programs , Headquarters , U . S . Marine Corps . In February 1980 , Kelley was promoted to lieutenant general and named as the first Commander of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force . From July 1 , 1981 , Kelley was promoted to the rank of General and became the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and Chief of Staff , Headquarters Marine Corps . On July 1 , 1983 Kelley was named Commandant of the Marine Corps , succeeding General Robert H . Barrow . Post - Marine Corps career . In 1989 , General Kelley joined the Washington , D . C . public policy firm Cassidy & Associates ; he is the Vice Chairman Emeritus . From 1989 to 1994 , he served as Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission . Kelley is on the board of directors for a number of corporations , including Allied Signal , Inc . , GenCorp , Inc . , Saul Centers , Inc . , Sturm Ruger & Co . , Inc . ; and the Wackenhut Corporation . On July 26 , 2007 , the " Washington Post " published an op - ed by Kelley and Robert F . Turner , in which they warned that the July 20 , 2007 executive order issued by President George W . Bush , purporting to define torture and allowable interrogation methods , appeared to violate Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and thus expose the President and other persons to potential liability for war crimes . On Nov . 9 , 2010 , he was named an honorable Reagan Fellow from Eureka college . General Kelley currently sits on the Honorary Board for the 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) Non Profit Wine Country Marines " [ http : / / www . winecountrymarines . org / board - of - directors . html < nowiki > [ 5 ] < / nowiki > ] " Medals , decorations , honors . Military . Kelley ' s personal decorations and awards include : Civilian . General Kelley has been awarded honorary doctoral degrees from Villanova University , Norwich University , Webster University , Jacksonville University , and the United States Sports Academy . He is the recipient of the National Geographic Society ’ s Major General O . A . Anderson Award , the Veterans of Foreign Wars ’ National Armed Forces Award , the American Academy of Achievement ’ s Gold Eagle Award , the Navy League ’ s Admiral John M . Will Award , the Ireland Fund ’ s Irishman of the Year for Southern California Award , the Reserve Officers Association ’ s Minuteman Hall of Fame Award , and the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund ’ s Semper Fidelis Award . In December 2006 , Kelley chaired a panel of military and business leaders looking to improve the U . S . ’ s energy security . They recommended tougher emission standards and greater access to offshore U . S . gas and oil reserves . In 2007 , in an op - ed piece in the " Washington Post " , General Kelly and Robert F . Turner , a Reagan Administration lawyer , spoke out against President George W . Bush ' s executive order interpreting Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions — concerning the interrogation and torture of terrorism suspects . Eureka College , alma mater of President Ronald Reagan , named General Kelley as its third " Honorary Reagan Fellow " to celebrate his lifetime of service and leadership on November 9 , 2010 at the Reagan Building in Washington , D . C . The date was chosen to correspond with the 21st anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall .