About the Author
Colonel Thomas J. Gordon, USMC (Retired)
Colonel Gordon assumed the duties as the Commandant of Cadets at The Citadel in July 2021 upon his retirement from the United States Marine Corps after 30-years of active service. Having graduated from The Citadel in 1991, Col Gordon returned to his Alma mater to educate and develop the next generation of Principled Leaders.
During his 30-year career, Colonel Gordon commanded at every level in the operating forces. As a Captain, he led a Recruit Training Company at Parris Island and commanded both Bravo & Alpha Company, 2nd Tank Bn. As a Lieutenant Colonel, he served as the Commanding Officer, 1st Tank Bn and as the first Commander of the Black Sea Rotational Force, a Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGFT) operating in the Caucasus, Balkans, and Black Sea region. As a Colonel, he led a 4,000-member Group organized in five battalions executing combat operations and world-wide communications, intelligence, electronic and cyber warfare capabilities, force protection, and supporting arms integration for all Marine Expeditionary Forces out of the East Coast.
All of Colonel Gordon’s staff assignments were in operations. He served as the Assistant Operations Officer, 2nd Tank Bn and as the Ground Watch Officer for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. As the Plans Branch Chief for USCENTCOM he coordinated force rotations and coalition support in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. As the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (G-3) for the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Japan he conducted disaster relief operations in Bangladesh; and as the Director of Operations (G-3) for Marine Forces Central Command, he integrated all U.S. Marine activities in twenty Middle Eastern countries.
Colonel Gordon is a graduate of the U.S. Army’s Armor Officers Advance Course and the Joint Forces Staff College. He holds an MA from Webster University and completed his senior level education as the Commandant’s Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Col Gordon last assignment on active duty was as the Director of the Marine Corps’ Command & Staff College in Quantico, Virginia. Examples of other positions include Military Secretary (Chief of Staff) to the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps and serving as a Resident Fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York City.
Col Gordon was inducted into the Council on Foreign Relations as a life member and Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society in 2021. He is the author of a best-selling book, Marine Maxims, Turning Principles into Practice.
