 He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and assigned to The Basic School at Quantico, Virginia after graduation.Upon completion of The Basic School and Armor Officer Basic in 1973, Wilson reported to 1st Marine Division, where he served as a Tank Platoon Commander, Company Executive Officer, Battalion Assistant Operations Officer and Tank Company Commander, 1st Tank Battalion.In 1976, he was assigned to the USS "Inchon" as the Combat Cargo Officer at Norfolk, Virginia and transferred to Quantico, Virginia in 1978 where he served as an Advanced Tactics Instructor at The Basic School.