A seasoned combat commander, he led a task force into southern Afghanistan in 2001 and a Marine division at the time of the Iraq invasion in 2003.
The retired four-star general, who was known as „Mad Dog,“ was lauded for his leadership of Marines in the 2004 Battle of Falluja in Iraq — one of the bloodiest of the war.
But he attracted controversy in 2005 when he said „it‘s fun to shoot some people“ while addressing service members in San Diego.