John P . McLaren John P . McLaren , Jr . served in the United States Army from 1974 to 2011 . He retired at the rank of Major General in the United States Army on August 29 , 2011 . Life . Major General John P . McLaren Jr . served as the Commanding General of the 80th Training Command ( TASS ) from May 17 , 2008 to August 29 , 2011 . Prior to this assignment he worked as the Vice Commander of the Joint War Fighting Center and Deputy Joint Force Trainer at U . S . Joint Forces Command in Suffolk , Virginia . As Deputy Joint Force Trainer he helped lead the USJFCOM joint force training effort to conduct and support the development of capabilities that train the individual services to fight together as a team . He also served as the Deputy Commander of Second Fleet for Joint Task Force Operations . Born in Savannah , GA and raised in an Air Force family , he entered the Army in 1974 , and , after receiving his Regular Army commission as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers , he served at Fort Meade , MD until leaving active duty in May 1978 . He has held numerous command positions at various levels both on active duty and in the U . S . Army Reserve . General McLaren most recently served as the commander of the Iraq Assistance Group within Multinational Corps - Iraq . As the commander of the group , he directed the military transition teams assigned to Iraqi army units at the battalion , brigade and division level — coaching , mentoring , and partnering with them in fighting the Counter Insurgency Battle in Iraq . During this mission , then Brigadier General McLaren , was the senior representative of the largest mobilization call up of 80th Division Soldiers since World War II . Prior to his deployment to Iraq , General McLaren served as the Assistant Division Commander – Operations for the 80th Division ( Institutional Training ) as well as numerous brigade and battalion level command and staff positions within the Division . Civilian Life . As a Citizen - Soldier , Major General McLaren retired as a Supervisory Civil Engineer from the U . S . Navy after over thirty - three years of federal service . He currently works for a construction company in Newport News Virginia where he is the Director of Business Development and Construction Operations . He is married and lives in Virginia Beach , Virginia with his family . Education . Major General McLaren graduated from the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses , the Infantry Advanced Course , the Command and General Staff College , and the Army War College . He has a bachelor ' s degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and a master ' s degree in strategic studies from the Army War College . He is a registered professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia . Awards . His awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal , the Defense Superior Service Medal , Legion of Merit , the Bronze Star , the Meritorious Service Medal with one silver and one bronze Oak Leaf Cluster , the Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters , the Army Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster , the Combat Action Badge , the Expert Infantryman Badge , the Ranger Tab and the Parachutist Badge .