Wallace M. Greene

Who was Wallace M. Greene?

General Wallace Martin Greene, Jr. was a four-star United States Marine Corps general who served as the 23rd Commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1964 to December 31, 1967. At the end of his term as Commandant, he retired with 37 years of active service in the Marine Corps.

Greene served in China in the 1930s, in the South Pacific in World War II, and was Commandant during the military buildup in Southeast Asia and when the first U.S. troops entered South Vietnam. During General Greene's tenure, the Marine Corps grew from 178,000 active-duty personnel to nearly 300,000.