Military Secretary to the Commandant of the Marine Corps
# Name Rank Start of tenure End of tenure Retired rank Commandant served under
1 Alexander A. Vandegrift Colonel 1937 1940 General Major General Thomas Holcomb
2 William C. James Colonel 1940 1942 Brigadier General Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb
3 Harry Schmidt Brigadier General 1942 1942 General Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb
4 Frederick C. McConnell Colonel 1942 1944 Colonel Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb
5 Joseph C. Burger Colonel 1944 1946 Lieutenant General General Alexander A. Vandegrift
6 Donald C. Curtis Colonel 1946 1948 Brigadier General General Alexander A. Vandegrift until 1947 General Clifton B. Cates until 1948
7 Edwin A. Pollock Colonel 1948 1949 General General Clifton B. Cates
8 Joseph H. Berry Colonel 1949 1951 Brigadier General General Clifton B. Cates
9 Victor H. Krulak Colonel 1952 1956 Lieutenant General General Lemuel C. Shepherd , Jr
10 Ormond R. Simpson Colonel 1956 1958 Lieutenant General General Randolph M. Pate
11 Roy L. Kline Brigadier General 1958 1960 Brigadier General General Randolph M. Pate
12 John P. Coursey Brigadier General 1960 1962 Brigadier General General David M. Shoup
13 Oscar T. Jensen , Jr Colonel 1963 1963 General David M. Shoup
14 James O. Appleyard Colonel 1964 1966 General Wallace M. Greene , Jr
15 Foster LaHue Brigadier General 1965 1967 Lieutenant General General Wallace M. Greene , Jr
16 Carl W. Hoffman Colonel 1967 1967 Major General General Wallace M. Greene , Jr
17 Fred E. Haynes Jr Colonel 1968 1968 Major General General Leonard F. Chapman , Jr
18 Emmett O. Anglin , Jr Colonel 1968 1971 General Leonard F. Chapman , Jr
19 Andrew E. O'Donnell Colonel 1969 1971 General Leonard F. Chapman , Jr
20 George R. Brier Colonel 1971 1972 General Leonard F. Chapman , Jr. and General Robert E. Cushman , Jr
List of military secretaries
Forty-three men have served as the Military Secretary to the Commandant of the Marine Corps . Two Marines have served as the Military Secretary and have later gone on to become the Commandant : General Alexander A. Vandegrift General James L. Jones , Jr . The current Military Secretary is Colonel Scott Leonard .
The Military Secretary to the Commandant of the Marine Corps is the senior advisor and task manager for the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Personally selected by the Commandant, the Military Secretary is an active duty colonel who reports directly to the Commandant. The exact duties of the Military Secretary have varied based on the needs and preferences of each Commandant. There are no existing manuals or orders that dictate the exact role of the Military Secretary. He runs the day-to-day operations of the Office of the Commandant, supervises the schedule of the Commandant, and performs other duties as the Commandant may direct. In order to perform the multi-faceted duties of the Military Secretary, the Marine must be well versed in all aspects of the United States Marine Corps, the United States Department of Defense, and the United States Government. Comparable positions in other branches of the military are: