thedrifter
07-01-04, 06:19 AM
Pendleton commander to retire after 34 years service
By James W. Crawley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 30, 2004
The general who commanded Camp Pendleton and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station before that during back-to-back tours will retire tomorrow, ending 34 years in uniform.
Maj. Gen. William Bowdon, 56, will step down as Camp Pendleton's commanding general, turning over the reins to Maj. Gen. Timothy Donovan during a ceremony at the North County base.
While other officers commanded many of the base's units in combat in Iraq, Bowdon, who began his Marine career as an aviator, oversaw more than 200 square miles of training areas, artillery ranges, barracks, family housing and wildlife preserves.
He started in the Marines piloting F-4 Phantom jets, moving over to the F/A-18 Hornet when the Marines converted to the newer jet in the 1980s.
He commanded a squadron before taking over Marine Aircraft Group 11 at the now-closed El Toro air base in Orange County. After being promoted to brigadier general in 1996, Bowdon oversaw East Coast airfields and the Cherry Point base. In 1999, he took command at Miramar.
At Miramar, Bowdon encountered a lingering controversy over helicopter routes over coastal and North County communities. Complaints about noise from Marine helicopters flying between Miramar and Pendleton ended after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Bowdon took over command of Camp Pendleton in June 2002. During his tenure, the general began several housing improvement efforts, environmental projects and safety programs.
Donovan, 54, was commander of Marine forces in Korea for three years before being transferred here.
He joined the Marines in 1971 and has been an armor officer, commanding two tank battalions in the early 1990s. In Okinawa, he commanded the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as a brigadier general.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20040630-9999-1mi30bowdon.html
Ellie
By James W. Crawley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 30, 2004
The general who commanded Camp Pendleton and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station before that during back-to-back tours will retire tomorrow, ending 34 years in uniform.
Maj. Gen. William Bowdon, 56, will step down as Camp Pendleton's commanding general, turning over the reins to Maj. Gen. Timothy Donovan during a ceremony at the North County base.
While other officers commanded many of the base's units in combat in Iraq, Bowdon, who began his Marine career as an aviator, oversaw more than 200 square miles of training areas, artillery ranges, barracks, family housing and wildlife preserves.
He started in the Marines piloting F-4 Phantom jets, moving over to the F/A-18 Hornet when the Marines converted to the newer jet in the 1980s.
He commanded a squadron before taking over Marine Aircraft Group 11 at the now-closed El Toro air base in Orange County. After being promoted to brigadier general in 1996, Bowdon oversaw East Coast airfields and the Cherry Point base. In 1999, he took command at Miramar.
At Miramar, Bowdon encountered a lingering controversy over helicopter routes over coastal and North County communities. Complaints about noise from Marine helicopters flying between Miramar and Pendleton ended after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Bowdon took over command of Camp Pendleton in June 2002. During his tenure, the general began several housing improvement efforts, environmental projects and safety programs.
Donovan, 54, was commander of Marine forces in Korea for three years before being transferred here.
He joined the Marines in 1971 and has been an armor officer, commanding two tank battalions in the early 1990s. In Okinawa, he commanded the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as a brigadier general.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20040630-9999-1mi30bowdon.html
Ellie