A veteran of the Persian Gulf war and the son of a Marine Corps general, Gen. Charles C. Krulak became commandant of the Corps of 174,000 Marines on July 1, 1995, and represents the Corps on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

His appointment was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the ending of combat operations on Iwo Jima. General Krulak attended the ceremony on the Pacific Island, along with Gen. Carl E. Mundy Jr., whom he succeeded, and Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton, a classmate of General Krulak at the Naval Academy.

General Krulak is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and received an engineering degree at the U. S. Naval Academy. He was a member of the varsity wrestling teams at both schools.

He is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School, the Army Staff College, and the National War College, and earned a Master's Degree in labor relations at George Washington University.

At the time of his appointment as commandant, General Krulak was commander of Marine forces in the Pacific. His father, Lt. Gen. Victor H. Krulak, held the same position during the Vietnam War and is the author of First to Fight, a popular political history of the Marine Corps.

The younger General Krulak also served two tours in Vietnam and held a variety of command and staff positions, including commander of the Counter-Guerrilla Warfare School on Okinawa, deputy director of the White House military office; assistant commander of the Second Marine Division; assistant deputy chief of staff for manpower and reserve affairs; and head of the Marine Corps combat development command.

He is the recipient of numerous medals and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.