Feb. 8, 2005

 Naval ROTC commanding officer up for promotion

           Col. Richard Lake, head of the Naval ROTC detachment at The Citadel and a naval science professor, has been nominated for promotion to brigadier general.

Col. Richard Lake talks with a cadet before a recent ROTC training weekend.

           If the U.S. Senate approves his promotion nomination, Lake would be just the second person promoted to brigadier general from a Citadel ROTC detachment. He would then transfer in May to an assignment at the Pentagon.

           Lake is a 1977 Citadel graduate. He was commissioned in May 1977 after graduating with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages. As a lieutenant, he graduated with honors from The Basic School and served as a rifle platoon commander, intelligence officer, reconnaissance platoon commander, and infantry company executive officer during training and operational deployments in the U.S., Caribbean, northern Europe, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean. While a captain, he was an instructor at the Basic School and served as an intelligence officer with seagoing and forward deployed units in Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America including contingency operations in Panama as well as in joint assignments with the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of Naval Intelligence.

           As a major, he served as an intelligence officer with 1st Marine Division in Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. He also served as an intelligence instructor with the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Staff Training Program and the Marine Corps University. As a lieutenant colonel, he was the honor graduate of both the Norwegian Army and Armed Forces Staff College, served on the staff of the U.S. European command, and commanded the U.S. National Intelligence Cell, Sarajevo in Bosnia during Operations Joint Endeavor and Joint Guard as well as being the first commanding officer of the U.S. Marine Corps' 2nd Intelligence Battalion.

           As a colonel and prior to his present assignment, he served as the assistant chief of staff for intelligence, 2nd Marine Division; a Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow at the U.S. Department of State's Senior Seminar, the commanding officer at Headquarters Battalion, 2ndd Marine Division, director of plans and liaison, Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa conducting combating terrorism missions (Operation Enduring Freedom) and chief of staff, 2nd Marine Division.

           Lake arrived at The Citadel in his current assignment in July 2004.

           Lake was raised in Thailand, Illinois, Florida, and Virginia as an Army brat. He was the honor graduate of the Defense Intelligence College where he earned a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence. He has a Master of Arts in Management from Central Michigan University. He is also a Western European Foreign Area Officer and Joint Specialty Officer.

           His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Gold Stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal.

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