caption serviceyears laterwork branch commands allegiance awards image_size placeofburial_label battles birth_date nickname rank image article_title name
general william l. nyland , usmc 1968-2005 institute , deputy director for defense r & d toys for for tots , chairman human and machine cognition -lrb- ihmc -rrb- united states marine corps assistant wing matsg pensacola vmfa-232 commandant of the marine corps 2nd marine aircraft united states of america defense of merit distinguished service medal navy distinguished service medal legion 300 place of burial vietnam war 2 october 1946 `` spider '' 30px general william l. nyland.jpg william l. nyland
 william l. nyland
william l. nyland

william l. `` spider '' nyland -lrb- born october 2 , 1946 -rrb- , a veteran of the vietnam war , is a retired united states marine corps four-star general who served as the assistant commandant of the marine corps from 2002 to 2005 .
he retired from the marine corps in november 2005 after over 37 years of distinguished service .
