Michael William Hagee (born December 1, 1944) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 33rd Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2006, succeeding General James L. Jones on January 13, 2003. He stepped down as Commandant two months before the end of his four-year term, and was succeeded by General James T. Conway on November 13, 2006. On that date, Hagee had his retirement ceremony just prior to the passage of command ceremony. Hagee retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 2007.
Biography Hagee was born in Hampton, Virginia, on December 1, 1944 and raised in Fredericksburg, Texas. His father, Robert L. Hagee, served as a United States Navy pilot in World War II and, in the summer of 2009, was awarded a plaque at the Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site, now known as the National Museum of the Pacific War (formerly Nimitz Museum) in Fredericksburg, Texas. He and his wife Silke, daughter of the German Air Force brigadier general Werner Boie, have two children.
He graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and was a classmate of Oliver North, Charles Bolden, Jim Webb, and Michael Mullen. He also holds a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College and the United States Naval War College. In 2004, he was honored with the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award.
Hagee was the commander of the Marine Corps at the time of the Haditha massacre, in which more than 20 Iraqi civilians were killed by US Marines. In a later oral history interview with a military historian, Hagee expressed pride in covering up photos from the massacre, stating that "the press never got them", thus distinguishing the event from Abu Ghraib.
Hagee is the president and CEO of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation. He has previously sat on the Board of Advisors for Cobam and Silicon Graphics. Awards and decorations
1st RowDefense Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clustersDefense Superior Service MedalLegion of Merit with two award starsBronze Star with valor device2nd RowDefense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal with one award starNavy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with one award starCombat Action Ribbon3rd RowJoint Meritorious Unit Award with two oak leaf clustersMeritorious Unit Commendation with one service starNational Intelligence Distinguished Service MedalNational Defense Service Medal with two service stars4th RowArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalVietnam Service Medal with three service starsSouthwest Asia Service Medal with one service starGlobal War on Terrorism Service Medal5th RowHumanitarian Service MedalSea Service Deployment Ribbon with two service starsNavy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with one service starFrench Legion of Honor, Commander6th RowVietnam Gallantry Cross Unit CitationVietnam Civil Actions Unit CitationVietnam Campaign MedalKuwait Liberation MedalOffice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
See also
List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals
References
References This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.
External links