Wayne Rollings Major General Wayne E . Rollings , USMC was Commanding General , II Marine Expeditionary Force , III Marine Expeditionary Force and a recipient of the Navy Cross . Early career . Major General Rollings began his career in the Marines by enlisting in 1960 . After completing recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , Rollings served as an infantryman in the Fleet Marine Force in Camp Lejeune , North Carolina and Okinawa , Japan . In 1963 , he completed Drill Instructor School , also at Parris Island , and served there as a Drill Instructor until he completed his enlistment in 1965 . Rollings enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and enrolled at the University of Georgia . In 1968 , Rollings graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history and following attendance at Officer Candidate School was commissioned as a second lieutenant . He attended The Basic School for 6 months at Marine Corps Base Quantico ( a school he would later command ) where new lieutenants learn the art and science of being an officer of Marines . Following graduation , he served as a platoon commander in 1st Force Reconnaissance Company on a deployment to South Vietnam . Navy Cross . It was while in Vietnam that Rollings earned the Navy ' s second - highest honor for valor and heroism in combat , the Navy Cross ( second only to the Medal of Honor ) . The citation that accompanied the medal : The President of the United States Takes Pleasure in Presenting The Navy Cross ToWayne E . Rollings First Lieutenant , United States Marine Corps For Services as Set Forth in the Following Citation : The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Wayne E . Rollings ( 107099 ) , First Lieutenant , U . S . Marine Corps , for extraordinary heroism on 18 September 1969 as a patrol leader with the First Force Reconnaissance Company , First Reconnaissance Battalion , FIRST Marine Division ( Reinforced ) , Fleet Marine Force , during operations against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam . While First Lieutenant Rollings was leading a long - range reconnaissance patrol deep into enemy - controlled territory in Quang Nam Province , the point man spotted twelve enemy soldiers in almost hidden emplacements and immediately fired at the hostile troops . Observing that the point man ' s weapon had become inoperable , First Lieutenant Rollings dashed across the fire - swept terrain and positioned himself between the point man and the enemy . Although small - arms fire tore his clothing and ripped his gas mask , and fragments of an enemy grenade struck him in the face and legs , First Lieutenant Rollings continued to deliver suppressive fire , accounting for several enemy casualties and forcing the remainder of the hostile troops to withdraw . Assuming the dangerous point position , and once again faced with intense enemy fire , he charged up an enemy - held knoll in a fiercely determined assault , resulting in the complete routing of the enemy . Despite the pain of his injuries , First Lieutenant Rollings continued to expose himself to fire from the retreating enemy while he skillfully directed air strikes upon all possible routes of egress . By his courage , dynamic leadership , and unfaltering devotion to duty , he contributed significantly to the accomplishment of his patrol ' s mission and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service . Marine Corps Career . After returning from Vietnam in 1970 , Rollings continued to distinguish himself in the Marine Corps . His next assignment , in Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station , Hawaii , was as a rifle platoon commander and then rifle company commander in the 1st Battalion , 3rd Marines . In 1972 , he deployed again to Vietnam , serving as an infantry battalion advisor to the South Vietnamese Marine Division . Upon his return the next year , he attended Amphibious Warfare School and then commanded a staff platoon at The Basic School . In 1974 , he transferred to the Middle East and served a tour of duty with the United Nations Observer Team . Upon completion of that assignment , he reported to the 2d Marine Division , Camp Lejeune , N . C . in 1975 , where he was assigned as a Rifle Company Commander , and then as the Battalion Operations and Training Officer of 1st Battalion , 6th Marines . In 1977 , he was reassigned to 2d Force Reconnaissance Company where he became the Commanding Officer . As a major , he attended the Armed Forces Staff College , Norfolk , Va . , and upon graduation in 1980 was assigned duty as Marine Officer Instructor , University of South Carolina . In 1982 , he returned to Quantico to serve as the Commanding Officer , Headquarters and Service Battalion , The Basic School , and later , as the Tactics Group Chief . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in July 1983 . From 1984 to 1985 , General Rollings attended the National War College , in Washington , D . C . , and upon graduation returned to the 2d Marine Division , where he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff , G - 3 , Operations Officer . He was then reassigned within the Division and served as the Commanding Officer , 3d Battalion , 4th Marines from 1986 to 1988 . Following his selection to colonel in 1988 , General Rollings reported to the Joint Staff , The Pentagon , for a tour as a Strategy Branch Chief , J - 5 . While a member of the Joint Staff , in 1989 , he completed the Harvard University Senior Executive Fellows Program . In June 1991 , General Rollings became the Commanding Officer , 3d Marine Regiment ( Rein ) , 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade , MCAS , Kaneohe Bay , Hawaii . He was advanced to brigadier general on June 28 , and assumed assignment as the Commanding General , Marine Corps Base , Camp S . D . Butler / Deputy Commanding General , Marine Corps Bases , Japan , on July 14 , 1993 . General Rollings was advanced to his present grade on February 14 , 1995 . He assumed his previous assignment on May 26 , 1995 as the Commanding General , III Marine Expeditionary Force / Commander , Marine Corps Bases Japan . Additional information . Major General Rollings set the world record for sit - ups when he performed 40 , 000 consecutive sit - ups over the course of 16 hours in April 1981 . He is also credited with one of a few combat parachute jumps in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War .