The former top Marine in Iraq has been nominated by President Obama for promotion to lieutenant general and given command of Marine reserve forces.
Maj. Gen. John Kelly currently serves at Camp Pendleton as deputy commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
Before that he spent a year commanding 22,000 Marines, sailors and soldiers in Anbar province west of Baghdad.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1970 in the enlisted ranks and became an officer after graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 1976.
Kelly's nomination is subject to Senate approval, a formality.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
