Earl E . Anderson General Earl Edward Anderson ( born June 24 , 1919 ) , the youngest active duty Marine ever promoted to the rank of General and the second active duty Marine Naval Aviator to be promoted to a 4 - star rank , became Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps on April 1 , 1972 . He was promoted to General on March 31 , 1972 . General KB McCutcheon had been promoted to four star rank the day of his retirement for medical reasons on July 1 , 1971 . During his 35 - year Marine career , he has served in combat actions in World War II , the Korean War , and the Vietnam War . Training and teaching . Anderson entered West Virginia University and graduated in 1940 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree . In June 1940 he was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant and reported to The Basic School ( TBS ) in Philadelphia for officer training . Upon graduation from TBS in February 1941 , he was ordered to Sea School , Marine Barracks , Portsmouth , Virginia , where he served as an instructor . He remained in that assignment until May , when he received assignment to the USS Yorktown ( CV - 5 ) , which was operating with the neutrality patrol in the North Atlantic . World War II . With the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific , Anderson and the " Yorktown " were transferred there , where they participated in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign , the Salamaua - Lae campaign , and the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway . He was serving on the Yorktown when it was sunk during the Battle of Midway . During this period of time , he was promoted to first lieutenant in December 1941 and captain in May 1942 . Following his rescue from the " Yorktown " , Anderson returned to the United States where he served briefly with Marine Corps Base San Diego , California , and then with the 2nd Marine Division . He was ordered to flight training at Naval Air Station Dallas , Texas in the spring of 1943 . He was promoted to major in May 1943 and was awarded the gold wings of a naval aviator at Naval Air Station Pensacola , Florida in October 1943 . His next assignment was as a flight instructor at Marine Corps Air Station Edenton , North Carolina . He remained there until December 1944 , when he returned to duty in the Pacific Area and assumed command of Marine Bomber Squadron 443 . He later served as the executive officer of Marine Aircraft Group 61 ( MAG - 61 ) in the consolidation of the Northern Solomons and the recapture of the Philippines . Post - World War II . In November 1945 , Anderson returned to the United States and served in a wide variety of post - war assignments including as a student at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College , Marine Corps Base Quantico , Virginia ; Administration Officer , Division of Aviation , Headquarters Marine Corps ( HQMC ) ; and as the Administration Assistant to the Assistant Commandant for Air , HQMC . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in July 1949 and assigned to the Office of the Judge Advocate General , where he served in various branches while a post - graduate student at The George Washington University Law School . In the summer of 1952 Anderson was ordered to Aircraft , Fleet Marine Force , Pacific , where he served as the Executive Officer for Marine Aircraft Group 16 until the spring of 1953 when he was ordered to Korea . In Korea , Anderson was the Commanding Officer , Marine Observation Squadron 6 ( VMO - 6 ) , and later became the Assistant Chief of Staff G - I , 1st Marine Aircraft Wing . Upon his return to the United States he was assigned as the Executive Officer and then Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 26 . During May 1956 , Anderson was assigned back to MCS , Quantico , Virginia , where he served first as an instructor , then Chief of the Air Section , Marine Corps Educational Center . He was promoted to Colonel in October 1957 and , during the summer of 1959 , was ordered to the Army War College , Carlisle Barracks , Pennsylvania . He graduated in June 1960 and was ordered to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing , where he served as the Staff Legal Officer until July 1961 . He then assumed command of Marine Aircraft Group 36 , Santa Ana , California , where his group participated in more than 13 separate amphibious and field exercises . In June 1963 he became Chief of Staff , Military Assistance Advisory Group ( MAAG ) , Vietnam and served in that capacity until the summer of 1964 , when he returned to the U . S . For his service with the MAAG , he was awarded the Legion of Merit and gold stars in lieu of his 7th and 8th Air Medals . In the late summer of 1964 , Anderson became the first Program Coordinator for the Marine Tactical Data System , the largest R & D effort in USMC history . He was promoted to Brigadier General on January 3 , 1966 and , in February , assumed duty as Deputy Chief of Staff ( RD & S ) , HQMC , the first aviator to be assigned that position . He also continued as the Marine Corps Tactical Data System Program Coordinator . For that duty he was awarded a gold star in lieu of a 2nd Legion of Merit . In December 1967 he returned to the Far East where he assumed duty as the Chief of Staff III Marine Amphibious Force – Republic of Vietnam . He held that assignment until January 1969 and for his service was awarded a Navy Distinguished Service Medal . He also was awarded a Knight of the National Order of Vietnam , the Vietnamese Army Distinguished Service Order ( 1st Class ) , a Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm , and a Korean Order of Military Merit Chungmu Cordon . While serving in Vietnam he was promoted to Major General on September 1 , 1968 . Upon his return to the United States he reported to HQMC , where he served briefly as Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff . In March 1969 he was reassigned as Deputy Director , Personnel HQMC and the Head of the Personnel Department , the first aviator to be assigned to those billets . In 1970 he was appointed as the USMC member on the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic Committee and , in March 1971 , was designated by the Secretary of Defense as the United States member of the Executive Committee of the Conseil International du Sport Militaire . In 1974 he was elected by the General Assembly to be the first Vice President . He served as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Armed Forces Relief and Benefit Association ( an insurance company catering to military servicemembers ) from 1972 to 1975 . He was promoted to Lieutenant General in June 1971 and assumed duty as Commanding General Fleet Marine Force , Atlantic ( FMFLant ) , Norfolk , Virginia , in July 1971 . In April 1972 he was named the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and promoted to General . At the age of 53 , he became the youngest active duty Marine to be promoted to the rank of 4 - star general in the history of the Marine Corps . Public life . In addition to his bachelor of science and master of arts degrees , Anderson is also earned a Juris Doctor degree " summa cum laude " from George Washington University Law School ( GWU ) . While attending he won the first Law Review competition for writing the best law review article among second year students . In his final year he served as editor in chief of the GWU Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif . In November 1974 Anderson received the highest honor the GWU Law Association can bestow – the Distinguished Alumnus Award . He is also the recipient of Honorary Doctors of Law degrees from Thiel College and West Virginia University . He is a member of West Virginia University ' s Academy of Distinguished Alumni and its Order of Vandalia . He is a member of the State Bar of California , the District of Columbia Bar , and the American Bar Association . He is entitled to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the United States Supreme Court . In 1973 the State of West Virginia chose Anderson as the Son of the Year . He served on the Executive Council of the West Virginia University Alumni Council from 1971 to 1978 , as its president from 1976 to 1977 . He was also the President of the Leatherneck Association . Awards and decorations . Anderson ' s 52 instances of 26 distinct awards and decorations include :