Trinity Classical Academy will feature U.S. Marine Corps Lieut. Gen. David H. Berger as the next guest in the school’s popular Speaker Series.

LG Berger is a three-star general and commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) at Camp Pendleton, a post he has held since July 2014.

Trinity’s Speaker Series featuring LT Berger is free, open to the community and will be held on campus at 28310 Kelly Johnson Parkway in Valencia on Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m.
LG Berger’s military career is vast as he has commanded troops in some of the largest conflicts of the last three decades. He was stationed at the Pentagon and in the building the morning of September 11, 2001. He will discuss the sacrifices made by members of the United States military and their families, as well as the opportunity Americans have to serve their country.

Often referred to as the Warfighting MEF, the I Marine Expeditionary Force is the largest of the three MEFs in the Fleet Marine Force and is the principal Marine Corps warfighting organization in large crisis or Major Theater War. Under General Berger’s command, I MEF provides a globally responsive, expeditionary and fully scalable Marine Air Ground Task Force capable of generating, deploying and employing ready forces and formations for crisis response, forward presence, major combat operations and campaigns.

As a Colonel, LG Berger commanded Regimental Combat Team 8 in Fallujah, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was also deployed in 2012 to Afghanistan as Commanding General on the ground of 1st Marine Division (forward) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and was responsible for the day-to-day combat operations across Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. LG Berger served as Commanding General, Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command (MAGTFTC), and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) from 2013 to 2014.

As a field grade officer, LG Berger was an instructor at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) in Yuma, Arizona; instructor at III MEF Special Operations Training Group; and served on the Joint Staff as a policy planner in the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, J-5. While serving as Assistant Division Commander of 2d Marine Division, he was appointed to the rank of Brigadier General. He then deployed to Kosovo, where he served for one year as Chief of Staff for KFOR Headquarters in Pristina. From 2009 to 2011, he served at Headquarters Marine Corps as the Director of Operations in Plans, Policies, and Operations.

As a lieutenant and commander, he served in Operation Desert Storm as platoon commander in 1st Marine Division, and later as company commander and Battalion Operations Officer in 2d Reconnaissance Battalion. LG Berger also commanded 3d Battalion, 8th Marines from 2002 to 2004, deploying first to Okinawa, and later to Haiti in support of Operation Secure Tomorrow.

LG Berger was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1981 following graduation from Tulane University. In addition to a B.S. in Engineering, he holds a Master of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and an M.S. in Military Studies. His formal military education includes the U.S. Army Infantry Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and U.S. Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School, Jumpmaster School, U.S. Navy Dive School, and U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance School.

Since its inception, Trinity has been committed to extending educational opportunities and enriching the academic culture beyond the classroom and into the community. Trinity Classical Academy’s Speaker Series features leaders, pioneers and trailblazers in their fields whose life choices have influenced others and changed lives. Past speakers have included the late Olympian, author, POW and Inspirational Speaker Louis Zamperini, radio hosts Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager, as well as noted actor and producer Kirk Cameron. This evening is complimentary for all attendees.

Founded in September 2001, Trinity Classical Academy has grown from 28 students to over 550 in Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade, making it one of the largest classical schools in the country. The mission of Trinity Classical Academy has remained consistent: to offer a challenging education, grounded in the Christian faith and the classical tradition, to produce young men and women of virtue, wisdom, purpose and courage.