Richard ‘Butch’ Neal is a retired four-star general and served from 1996—1998 as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. After graduating with a B.S. in History and Education from Northeastern University in Boston, in 1965, Neal was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps and spent the next thirty-five years commanding at every level.
During his time in uniform, he also went on to graduate from the National War College and earn his M.Ed. from Tulane University. He served two tours in the Republic of Vietnam, and during Desert Storm, he served as the Deputy Director of Operations for General Schwarzkopf as well as Central Command Briefer.
His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star Medal with Gold Star; the Defense Superior Service Medal with Palm; Bronze Star Medal with Combat V; and the Purple Heart. Since retiring in 1998, he has been president of three intellectual property licensing companies.
He was the Senior Mentor for the United States Marine Corps for five years and is currently a Senior Fellow at the National Defense University. The general also served as Chairman of the Board for the Military Officers Association of America, and is presently on the board of directors for several companies, and sits on the Board of Trustees for Norwich University.
