USMC | Retired
Major General James Williams served his country in the military for 38 years; he retired 1 August 2010. He has commanded Marines at every level in and out of combat.
He was last assigned as the Commanding General, 4th Marine Division from April 2007 to April 2010. He is a certified Force Reconnaissance Special Operations Marine, which includes specialized training in counter-terrorism operations, combat martial arts, mountaineering, military combat scuba diving, long range amphibious operations, submarine special operations, special weapons and tools training, cross training with Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Navy SEALS, Air Force Special Operations, and Allied Special Operations Units, and military freefall skydiving operations (HALO/HAHO).
Previous positions held were as the Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division; Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command; Assistant Division Commander, 2d Marine Division, in combat operations at Camp Blue Diamond, Ar-Ramadi, Iraq; Deputy Commanding General, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Fallujah, Iraq; Deputy Director of Operations CJTF-180, conducting combat operations in Afghanistan. He also served on the Secretary of Defense’s Reserve Force Policy Board from 2007-2010.
Major General Williams has served throughout Asia, Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Africa in numerous military operations. He has extensive military and business experiences in China, Korea, Japan, Africa, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of the Philippines. In addition to multiple combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, he has multiple operational experiences in the Counter-Drug War in Central and South America.
He has traveled to every country in the world and has been on every continent except for Antarctica and has experience in multiple combat environments and against many terrorist groups. His military career includes operations in Northern Ireland in joint service with the British Royal Marines against the Irish Republican Army (IRA); in Germany against the Red Army/Baader-Meinhof terror group; in Japan against the Red Army; in the Philippines against the New People’s Army and Abu Sayyaf; in Mexico, Central and South America against multiple transnational narco-terrorist groups; throughout Africa against trans-continental terrorists groups; and in Afghanistan and Iraq against Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Iranian backed terrorists, and other terrorist cells.
Major General Williams and his integrated US team of military, civilian, and joint coalition members were responsible for initiating the talks with terrorist and insurgent groups that fostered the Sunni Awaking to occur in Al-Anbar Province, Iraq. This allowed the beginning of the end in combat operations, thus saving countless allied military and Iraqi lives from further misery. It also allowed the eventual visit to Iraq of President George W. Bush, and elections in Western Iraq. Major General Williams’ theater of operations, his “battle space of responsibility” in Iraq and Afghanistan, was approximately the size of the State of Texas.
While at the White House, during the Carter and Reagan Presidencies from 1979-1981, Major General Williams, then Captain Williams, served as a Military White House Social Aide to both Presidents, and served during the time of the historic Camp David Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the visit of Pope Paul XXIII, and the assassination attempt on President Reagan.
His personal military decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Legion of Merit Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Afghanistan Service Medal, Iraq Service Medal, Korean Defense Medal, Expeditionary Service Medal, Select Reserve Service Medal, the National Defense Medal, and the Secretary of Defense Service Badge.
Major General Williams education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and Health Science from Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania; a Master’s Degree from Georgetown University in Government and National Security Affairs; a Master’s Degree from Yale University in Hospital Management, Public Health, and Finance; a Graduate Certificate in the National and International Studies Program at Harvard’s JFK School of Government; a Graduate Certificate in the LOGTECH Program, Center of Excellence in Logistics and Technology, University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Graduate of the FBI Citizen’s Academy.
Currently, he is involved on numerous boards including: the Veterans Advisory Board of the Veterans Administration (VA) North Texas Medical Center; President (former/retired) of the Board for International Leadership of Texas, a public charter school district; an advisor on the Tarleton State University School of Criminal Justice; advisor (retired) on the board of the Tower Center for Political Science at Southern Methodist University; Trustee on the Board of Trustees at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children; a board member on the InfraGard/FBI North Texas Members Alliance; a retired board member and Chairman of the Cybercrime Committee of the North Texas Crime Commission; and a former public board member of the Disaster Medicine Board of the American Board of Physicians Specialties; and in business, with Primerica, Inc., he is a licensed and certified to provide financial and insurance services for individuals and businesses; in his business consulting activities he develops international infrastructure projects, and is the CEO and Chairman of LotusTiger International, LLC, a personal international consulting business, and former CEO/Chairman, Zenneck Power, LLC, a technology power utility aggregation systems company that built projects in smart connectivity technology solutions to include: smart lights, wireless electrical transmission systems, wind generation, demand power generation, microgrid systems, water filtration, medical waste destruction systems, and waste to power systems, and is on the board of a technology and software company that provides technical solutions for local and global businesses.
Currently, he is Senior Managing Partner of a new startup called Disruptive Healthcare Solutions, LLC, delivering regenerative medicine solutions via exosome stem cell therapy on a global basis, and additionally is involved with new cancer research trials. For 31 years he has been a licensed and registered financial advisor and financial coach to individuals, Veterans, small businesses to help them become properly protected, debt free, and to make informed financial decisions to build wealth.
In addition, he works tirelessly to help US Military Veterans get their Veterans Administration benefits, return home from combat duty and get connected to the services the Veterans deserve, and to get the certifications so they can get engaged in businesses that will allow them to take advantage of the economic opportunities that they so valiantly fought for and for the freedoms their fellow Americans enjoy.