Duane D. Thiessen

Duane D. Thiessen
Duane D. Thiessen as Commander, United States Marine Corps Forces Korea
Born	March 11, 1951 (1951-03-11) (age 60) Goessel, Kansas
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1974-present
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	VMAT-203 Marine Aircraft Group 13 Inspector General of the Marine Corps 1st Marine Aircraft Wing USMC Forces Korea
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2)

Duane D. Thiessen is a Lieutenant General in the United States Marine Corps, and is currently commanding the United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific, having assumed command on September 2, 2010.

Biography

Thiessen was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May 1974, after graduating from Pittsburg State University. Following completion of flight training, he reported to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, for transition training to the AV-8B Harrier II. Thiessen's initial assignment as a Harrier pilot was with VMA-542, where he performed in both Operational and Maintenance billets while completing two deployments to Okinawa and participating in a Mediterranean deployment aboard the USS Nassau. In July 1982, Captain Thiessen reported to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 in Yuma, Arizona, where he served as an AV-8 tactics instructor.

In December 1985, Major Thiessen returned to Cherry Point and was assigned to VMA-231 as the Operations Officer, where he led a detachment of six AV-8Bs that deployed to the Mediterranean Sea as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. Upon returning to the United States in 1988, Major Thiessen attended the Naval Command and Staff College in Newport, Rhode Island. Following graduation he reported to Naval Air Systems Command, Washington, D.C., and served as an assistant to the AV-8B program manager.

In June 1991, Lieutenant Colonel Thiessen assumed command of VMAT-203 at Cherry Point. After relinquishing command, he returned to Washington, DC, to attend the National War College. He was subsequently assigned as the Marine Requirements Officer in the Joint Strike Fighter Program office. Colonel Thiessen then served until June 1999 as the Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 13 in Yuma.

Following command of MAG-13, Colonel Thiessen served in the Aviation Plans and Policy Branch of Headquarters Marine Corps until July 2000, when he was appointed to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Expeditionary Force Programs. Colonel Thiessen was promoted to Brigadier General and assumed the duties as the Deputy Director of Operations, National Military Command Center in October 2001. He then served until May 2004 as the Deputy Naval Inspector General for Marine Corps Matters/Inspector General of the Marine Corps. Thiessen was then assigned as the Commanding General of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Okinawa, Japan from 3 June 2004 - 10 June 2005, followed by a two year tour as Commander, Marine Forces Korea and assistant Chief of Staff, U/C/J-5, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and the United States Forces Korea.

In June 2007, Major General Thiessen returned to the United States and assumed the duties of Assistant Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources (Programs) at Headquarters United States Marine Corps. Thiessen was nominated for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General on March 13, 2008, to become the Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced March 15, 2010 that Lt. Gen. Duane D. Thiessen has been nominated for reappointment to the rank of lieutenant general with assignment as commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific; commanding general, Fleet Marine Force Pacific; and commander, Marine Corps Bases Pacific.^[1]

Lieutenant General Thiessen is married to Lynn Rodd and they have two children.^[2]

Awards

Naval Aviator Badge
	Defense Superior Service Medal	Legion of Merit w/ 2 award stars
Defense Meritorious Service Medal	Meritorious Service Medal w/ 1 award star	Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal	Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Navy Unit Commendation	Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ 1 service star	National Defense Service Medal w/ 2 award stars	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal	Humanitarian Service Medal	Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon w/ 2 service stars	Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Marine Corps portal

References

1. ^ http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13377
2. ^ CMHS: GRANDMA Overview

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

• Official Marine Corps biography

Persondata
Name	Thiessen, Duane
Alternative names
Short description	United States Marine Corps general
Date of birth	1951-03-11
Place of birth	Goessel, Kansas
Date of death
Place of death