Gen. James F. Amos, this year’s commencement speaker, graduated from the University of Idaho in 1970. Forty years later, he was made the commandant of the Marine Corps.
Amos was active in ROTC during his time at UI and later became a Marine aviator. He is the first aviator to become commandant of the Marine Corps.
Kevin Ketchie, presidential events manager for the university, said the faculty senate commencement committee recommends several names to the university president.
“We do have kind of a running list,” Ketchie said.
Zaid Abdo, head of the committee, said things are a little different this year.
“The general is kind of a special case,” Abdo said.
Apart from being the commencement speaker, Amos will also receive an honorary doctorate in Administration Science.
Ketchie said Amos was scheduled to receive the degree last year, but was unable to make it to Moscow.
An honorary doctorate is the highest honor a university can give, Ketchie said, though it doesn’t hold the same weight as a conventional doctorate.
Amos has held command positions since the mid 1980’s. He commanded a portion of NATO’s operation in Kosovo in 1998.
He also commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and II, from 2002 to 2004.
In 2008, Amos was appointed Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. Two years later, on Oct. 22, 2010, he became the commandant, responsible for more than 240,000 Marines around the world.
He is the highest-ranking Vandal in military history.
Kasen Christensen can be reached at [email protected]