Honoring a Giant: The Life and Legacy of LtGen Richard Carey

We close out our month-long tribute to the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday with a special replay of a 2021 Happy Hour conversation featuring Lieutenant General Richard E. Carey.

Across nearly four decades in uniform, General Carey rose from enlisted grunt to three-star general, serving everywhere from the Inchon landings and Chosin Reservoir to the skies over Vietnam. He went on to amass more than 9,000 hours in every fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft the Marine Corps flew. Yet what stands out most is his quiet warmth and the timeless wisdom he shared—like sitting down with a beloved grandfather who’s seen it all.

General Carey passed away in early 2025 and now rests in the very cemetery he once helped establish. Rest in peace, General Carey. And Semper Fi, Marines.