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Amos becomes assistant commandant

Gen. James F. Amos was pinned with his fourth star Wednesday, becoming assistant commandant of the Marine Corps during a ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, Marine officials said.

Amos relieves Gen. Robert Magnus, who will retire this month after serving as assistant commandant since September 2005, according to a Marine statement.

Amos last served as commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., and has served with NATO, where he was the deputy commander of Naval Striking Forces, Southern Europe, and the U.S. deputy commanding general of Fleet Marine Forces, Europe, Naples, Italy.

During that tour, Amos commanded NATO’s Kosovo Verification Coordination Center, and served as chief of staff for U.S. Joint Task Force Noble Anvil during the air campaign over Kosovo.

Amos also has commanded various units from the squadron to the Corps’ largest air-ground task force, the Marine Expeditionary Force. During the initial phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and late became commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force from 2004 to 2006.

Amos graduated from the University of Idaho in 1970, and was designated a naval aviator in 1971. He served numerous tours with Marine squadrons, flying both the F-4 Phantom II and the F/A-18 Hornet.