| Bernard E. Trainor | |
|---|---|
| Born September 2, 1928 | |
 LtGen Bernard E. Trainor |
|
| Place of birth | New York City, New York |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1946–1985 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | 1st Battalion, 5th Marines 1st Reconnaissance Battalion |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Legions of Merit (2) Bronze Star |
| Other work | Journalist Television commentator author |
Bernard E. Trainor (born September 2, 1928) is journalist and a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general. He served in the Marine Corps for 39 years in both staff and command capacities. After retiring from the Marine Corps, he began working as the chief military correspondent for the New York Times. He is currently a military analyst for NBC. He has also written two books.
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Bernard E. Trainor was born on 2 September 1928 in New York City.
In 1946, Trainor enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school and served until his selection as a midshipman in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) in 1947. He then attended the College of the Holy Cross, where he earned his baccalaureate degree in History and was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1951.
He then went to The Basic School in Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, and after completion in December 1951, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division in Korea where he served as an infantry platoon commander. Returning to the United States in September 1952, he served with the 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
In June, 1953, he was assigned duties aboard the heavy cruiser USS Columbus (CA-74) where he served consecutively as executive officer and commanding officer of the ship's Marine Detachment. During this two-year tour of duty he was promoted to captain.
Following sea duty, Trainor was assigned to the Personnel Department at Headquarters Marine Corps until 1958. He was then assigned as an exchange officer to the British Royal Marine Commandos. After a period of training in the United Kingdom, he commanded a company in 45 Commando, 3 Commando Brigade on Malta.
Upon completion of the exchange tour in 1959, he reported for duties with the 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California, where he served consecutively as a company commander in reconnaissance, anti-tank, and infantry battalions.
In 1961 he was ordered to duties as a Marine Officer Instructor with the NROTC Unit at the University of Colorado. He was promoted to major in November, 1961. His next assignment returned him to Quantico, where he was a student at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. Ordered to the Republic of Vietnam in July, 1965, General Trainor was assigned as an advisor to a Vietnamese special operations group. After a year in Vietnam, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and returned to Quantico where he served for three years as an instructor at the Command and Staff College.
In 1969, Trainor attended the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. During his War College course he was awarded the Anderson Memorial Award for the "best paper dealing with politico-military thought" and designated "Distinguished Graduate" upon completion of the course in June 1970. He then served another tour in the Republic of Vietnam, where he commanded the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, and later the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the 1st Marine Division.
Following his return to the United States in 1971, Trainor was assigned at Headquarters Marine Corps where he served as a plans officer. During this tour he was promoted to colonel on 3 January 1972. From July 1974 through June 1975, he served as Deputy Director of the 1st Marine Corps District, headquartered in New York. On 1 July 1975, he assumed duties as Director and held this post until his advancement to brigadier general, in April 1976. At this time, he assumed duties as Assistant Depot Commander, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.
On 14 April 1978, he assumed the duties of Deputy for Education/Director, Education Center, Marine Corps Development and Education Command, Quantico. During this tour of duty, he was promoted to major general. He was subsequently transferred to Headquarters Marine Corps in April 1981 and assigned duty as Director, Plans Division, Plans, Policies and Operations Department. Upon promotion to lieutenant general on 15 June 1983, he was assigned duty as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Policies and Operations, Headquarters Marine Corps. He served in this capacity until his retirement on 1 July 1985.
At present, Gen. Trainor is a military analyst for NBC. He worked for The New York Times as chief military correspondent from 1986 to 1990 and at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government as Director of the National Security Program from 1990 to 1996. Later he was a Senior Fellow for National Security at the Council on Foreign Relations. He and Michael R. Gordon have written two books together: The Generals' War, which covers the 1991 Gulf War, and Cobra II, which covers the Iraq War begun in 2003.
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| Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia | ||||
| 1st Row | Legion of Merit w/ 1 award star & valor device | Bronze Star w/ valor device | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Row | Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal w/ 1 award star & valor device | Combat Action Ribbon | Navy Unit Commendation w/ 3 service stars | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ 1 service star |
| 3rd Row | World War II Victory Medal | Navy Occupation Service Medal | National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 service star | Korean Service Medal w/ 2 service stars |
| 4th Row | Vietnam Service Medal w/ 4 service stars | Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/ 3 gold stars | Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal | Korean Presidential Unit Citation |
| 5th Row | Vietnam Gallantry Cross unit citation | Vietnam Civil Actions unit citation | United Nations Korea Medal | Vietnam Campaign Medal |
He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and holds a master's degree in history from the University of Colorado. The actress Saxon Trainor is his daughter.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
  | Lieutenant General Bernard E. Trainor - Retired - Official Biography: Lieutenant General Bernard E. Trainor |
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