​​Lt. Gen Richard Zilmer

​A career infantry officer with an affable demeanor, Zilmer rose to three-star status during a career that began in 1974, shortly after he graduated from the former Kutztown State College (now Kutztown University) in eastern Pennsylvania with a degree in secondary education. He is perhaps best known for leading Multinational Forces-West in Iraq’s Anbar province as a two-star general in 2006 and 2007, as Sunni fighters laid down arms and began working with U.S. forces as part of the “Anbar Awakening.” More recently, Zilmer commanded III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan, out of Okinawa, from June 2007 through September 2009. He took command of Manpower last fall, overseeing it as the Corps stabilized its active-duty force at about 202,000 Marines and addressed manpower shortages in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve. In 2010, Lt. General Zilmer put an end to a 36-year career as Deputy Commandant of Manpower and Reserve Affairs.