Marc Cisneros: 1939—: Army general, college president, chief executive officer

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Over the course of his lifetime, Marc Cisneros has navigated a lot of terrain. Cisneros began life among the cowhands in the dusty ranchlands of South Texas, knuckled his way through the jungles of Vietnam, became an Army general, and ended up establishing policy among the halls of academia. His accomplishments have made Cisneros a favorite South Texas son. On the outskirts of his hometown of Premont, Texas, a sign proudly announces that it is the home of retired three-star Lieutenant General Marc Cisneros. His success reminds South Texans—Hispanics in particular—of their unlimited potential. "He has made a positive impact," Premont middle school principal Luis A. Canales told the San Antonio Express-News. "He is Mexicano, and that affects all of South Texas."

A tenth generation South Texan, Marc Anthony Cisneros was born April 5, 1939, in Brownsville, Texas, to Antonio and Herlinda (Canales) Cisneros. He was raised in the cattle country of Premont, Texas, not far from the Mexican border. Cisneros comes from a family with a history of public service. His great uncle, J.T. Canales, was a leading Texas Mexican-American political leader, who helped found the League of United Latin American Citizens. Growing up, Cisneros learned to speak both English and Spanish. Like many Texan boys, Cisneros was involved with ranching and was active with the Future Farmers of America. He graduated from San Antonio's Central Catholic High School and entered St. Mary's University, also in San Antonio, as a member of the Army's Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). In 1961, Cisneros received a bachelor's degree in business administration and planned to attend law school. Instead, the Army commissioned him a second lieutenant and he spent the next 30 years in uniform.

Helped Orchestrate Numerous Army Offensive Strikes

From 1963 to 1965, Cisneros served as battery commander of the U.S. Army forces in Europe, stationed in Babenhausen, Germany. Cisneros's first combat experience came during the Vietnam war. In 1968, Cisneros worked as a senior operations advisor during the Tet offensive. The Tet offensive was a campaign launched in 1968 by the Viet Cong from the north in an effort to overtake South Vietnam. While the Viet Cong did not win the offensive militarily, they proved themselves to be a formidable force and Cisneros and his comrades worked hard to maintain their ground. Later, between 1971 and 1973, Cisneros served as a regional adviser trying to keep the South Vietnamese army from caving in.

From 1975 to 1977, Cisneros was a battalion commander at Fort Hood, Texas, and an artillery commander from 1984 to 1986. By the late 1980s, he was serving in Panama and worked his way up the ranks to become a general. Cisneros is most remembered for his role in the 1989 Panama invasion, in which he helped orchestrate the invasion and capture of then-dictator General Manuel Noriega, accused of drug trafficking and other crimes. During "Operation Just Cause," as the offensive was named, Cisneros served as commander of the U.S. Army South, making him the highest-ranking Latino in the U.S. Army. While the U.S. military planned to use force, Cisneros reminded his comrades that the enemy would probably crumble without an extreme use of force. According to the St. Petersburg Times, Cisneros told his commanding officers, "Listen, most of these people are not going to fight. Give them a chance to surrender and they will. You don't have to blow everything to kingdom come." Cisneros wanted to win the campaign, but he wanted to minimize the devastation to the country's cities and homes.

At a Glance . . .

Born Marc Anthony Cisneros on April 5, 1939, in Brownsville, TX; married Eddy Virginia Durham on November 3, 1964; children: Marc Jr., Kenric, Kara. Education: St. Mary's University, San Antonio, TX, BA, 1961; Shippensburg State University, Shippensburg, PA, MA, 1968; U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA, graduate, 1978. Military Service: U.S. Army.

Career: U.S. Army, second lieutenant, 1961; U.S. Army in Europe, Babenhausen, Germany, battery commander, 1963-65; U.S. Army, Fort Hood, TX, battalion commander, 1975-77; U.S. Army, artillery commander, 1984-86; stationed in Panama, late 1980s; U.S. Army South, Panama, commander, 1989-90; Investigations and Oversight in the Office of the Secretary of the Army, deputy inspector general 1992-94; Fifth U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston, TX, commanding general, 1994-96; Texas A&M-Kingsville, president, 1998-01; John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation, Corpus Christi, TX, CEO, 2001–.

Awards: Received two Distinguished Service Medals, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star; named one of "100 Most Influential Hispanics," Hispanic Business Magazine, 1997.

Address: Home— PO Box 1292, Premont, TX, 78375.

On the day after the invasion, Cisneros discovered that one of Noriega's captains, Amadis Jimenez, had been captured. Fluent in Spanish, Cisneros persuaded Jimenez to call his comrades and urge them to surrender. By working the phone lines, Cisneros and Jimenez got all nine of Noriega's provincial commanders to surrender their collective 5,000 troops—75 percent of the forces. "People describe Marc as having won the war with a telephone," General Fred Woerner told the St. Petersburg Times. "He saw a way to accomplish the mission, and at the same time minimize the loss of life and destruction. He was the glue in Just Cause." Cisneros did not give himself much credit for his role in minimizing the loss of life in Panama. According to U.S. News & World Report, when a friend asked him how he wanted to be remembered, Cisneros said, "Just say, 'He was a hell of a soldier.'" Cisneros was also the one who calmed the fears of Panamanians by going into their villages and speaking to them in Spanish.

Took Command of Texas A&M-Kingsville

Following his service in Panama, Cisneros worked his way up the ranks. From 1992 to 1994, he served as the deputy inspector general for Investigations and Oversight in the Army's Office of the Secretary and in February of 1994 became commanding general of the Fifth U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He retired in August of 1996 after earning two Distinguished Service Medals. Next, Cisneros worked as a general manager of government services for Fluor Daniel Inc., a large engineering and construction contractor.

On September 1, 1998, Cisneros made history when he became the 15th president of Texas A&MKingsville. He was the first non-educator to be hired in that post, and faculty at first were leery of having a general take over the school. However, during his three-year tenure Cisneros covered a lot of ground. Raised among the cowhands, Cisneros never forgot his roots and even after becoming a general remained down to earth and approachable, comfortable around everyone from students to senators to presidents. "I have walked among the most humble and most egotistical," Cisneros told the San Antonio Express-News. "My troops always used to say, 'You don't act like a general.'" As president, Cisneros remained approachable to students and under his leadership, enrollment stabilized. He also worked to increase student retention. Freshman student retention stood at 56 percent when Cisneros came and rose to 61 percent. Cisneros also helped found an extension campus in San Antonio as well as implement a pharmacy school at the Kings-ville campus, the first professional school south of San Antonio.

Because of his military background, Cisneros was offered a chance to work in Washington, D.C. Following the November of 2000 presidential election, vice president Dick Cheney asked Cisneros to join the Bush cabinet and become Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Cisneros, however, said he had a job to finish at the university.

Cisneros completed his vision and left the university in August of 2001. However, he did not stray far from his South Texas roots. Cisneros became chief executive officer of the multimillion-dollar Corpus Christi, Texas-based John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation, a foundation that supports Catholic activities across the state. In this capacity, Cisneros has continued to positively influence the lives of young Texans. Cisneros has said his mission is to use foundation funds to promote family life and reach the poor in their homes. Cisneros also wanted to increase parental involvement in children's lives, believing this will help children become more successful and eventually lead to economic stability for South Texas.

Along the way Cisneros married Eddy Virginia Durham on November 3, 1964. They have three children. When he is not busy, Cisneros spends his free time with his grandchildren. He also has a pilot's license and likes to fly his own plane. Cisneros believes that the element of risk in flying keeps his senses sharp.

Sources

Periodicals

Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times, June 12, 2001, p. A1.

La Prensa de San Antonio, June 6, 2001, p. 1. San Antonio (Texas) Express-News, January 16, 2000, p. 1B.

St. Petersburg (Florida) Times, December 20, 1999, p. 1A.

U.S. News & World Report, July 30, 1990, p.32.

On-line

"Marc Cisneros Take Over Command as President of Texas A&M University-Kingsville" Texas A&M University-Kingsville, www.tamuk.edu/news/archive/arch98/september/presidente.html (June 9, 2003).

—Lisa Frick