Lieutenant General USMC (Ret) John Wissler was born at Camp Pendleton, California and raised in a Marine family that settled in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota after his father’s retirement as a Sergeant Major of Marines.

He graduated from the United States Naval Academy and was commissioned a Marine Second Lieutenant on 7 June 1978.

Serving over 39 years in the Marine Corps, John commanded at every level of the Marine Corps from platoon to Marine Corps Component command.  His company and field grade command assignments include commanding two engineer platoons during amphibious deployments to the Western Pacific; three Combat Engineer companies, once deploying to Honduras; a Combat Engineer Battalion, a Combat Logistics Regiment, and Task Force Pegasus supporting I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) during combat operations in Iraq in 2003.  His General Officer command assignments included a Marine Logistics Group in Iraq from 2005-2006; a Marine Expeditionary Brigade; III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF); Marine Corps Forces, Japan; U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command; and Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.  While commanding III MEF, Lieutenant General Wissler was twice activated by US Pacific Command to lead Joint Task Force 505, conducting Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations in the Philippines in 2013 after Super Typhoon Haiyan, and for Earthquake relief in Nepal in 2015.   John also served as Deputy Commanding General, Multi-National Force-West in Iraq from 2009-2010.

His other notable assignments include the Commandant of the Marine Corps’ Amphibious Plans Study Group for Operation Desert Storm; Marine Corps Aide to Presidents George H. W. Bush and William J. Clinton; Director, Strategic Initiatives Group for the 32d Commandant of the Marine Corps; Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense; and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources.

John received a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology; is a graduate of Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School (now Expeditionary Warfare School), the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, the Joint Forces Staff College, and served as a Commandant of the Marine Corps and Federal Executive Fellow at The Brookings Institution studying Foreign Policy.

LtGen Wissler is proud to have been designated an Honorary Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy and an Honorary Marine in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps.

Upon his retirement in October 2017, John founded JPW Solutions, LLC and has worked as an independent consultant in leadership, teambuilding, logistics, and strategic planning venues across industry, foreign government, academia, and professional and collegiate sports.  John was recently selected to serve as the Distinguished Chair of Leadership in the VADM Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the U.S. Naval Academy, and as a member of the Australian Northern Territory Strategic Defence Advisory Board.