Marine Assumes Afghan War Command

A U.S. Marine four-star general,John R. Allen,has assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force,or ISAF,the senior military leadership post in the Afghan War.On 18 July,General Allen replaced General David Petraeus,U.S. Army,who is to become the next CIA director.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy,General Allen has had an intellectually stimulating career,earning several academic degrees in national security and intelligence studies from Georgetown University and the National War College,as well as the Defense Intelligence University.He also taught and was Commandant at the Naval Academy.
From 2006-08,General Allen was Commanding General,2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in the Iraq War.He then served as Deputy Commander,U.S. Central Command from 2008-11,assisting General Petraeus for most of that assignment.
General Allen has been decorated with the Legion of Merit with 3 award stars,as well as both the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award with 1 oak leaf cluster.
There would be no let up in engaging the Taliban militants during the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops and transfer of command to Afghan security forces,General Allen insisted.

A Marine for NASA

Major General Charles F. Bolden,Jr.,U.S. Marine Corps Retired,has been selected by President Barack Obama to head NASA.General Bolden was himself an astronaut,having flown on four space shuttle missions-commanding two of them.His last mission was in 2004.Before his space career,which also included stints as a NASA administrator,General Bolden was a Marine aviator,flying more than 1000 sorties in the Vietnam War.He served in the Persian Gulf as well.The U.S. Naval Academy graduate was praised by fellow astronaut Senator Bill Nelson(D-Florida) for being a patriot,a leader and a visionary.General Bolden would be charged with conducting a review of all of NASA's programs,retiring the shuttle and guiding the follow-on Orion program,if he wins U.S. Senate approval.He would be the first African American to direct NASA.

Successful Basketball Season

Navy achieved some basketball success this year,finishing the season with a 15-14 overall record.The Midshipmen crushed Colgate 67-35 in their final regular season game.That gave Navy an 8-6 Patriot League record,landing them in third place.They scored 6 out of 17 three-point shots against Colgate,while Colgate scored 5 out of 21.The Midshipmen made 33 rebounds and 8 assists,and Colgate made 26 and 6,respectively.The game was played at Colgate University.Colgate is located in Hamilton,New York,which is between Utica and Syracuse.It was founded in 1813,while the U.S. Naval Academy was founded in 1845.