Brigadier General Lawrence D. Nicholson was promoted to Brigadier General September 2007 and is currently assigned as the Commanding General, 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
Brigadier General Nicholson was born in Toronto, Canada, and is a 1979 graduate of The Citadel in Charleston, SC where he earned a BS Degree in Business Administration. Brigadier General Nicholson also holds a Masters of Science Degree from the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
From 1980-1982, Brigadier General Nicholson served as a Platoon and Company Commander in 3rd Bn, 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton, California.
In 1982 Brigadier General Nicholson was assigned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego where he served as a Series and Company Commander until 1985.
Following Amphibious Warfare School at Quantico, Virginia in 1986, Brigadier General Nicholson served as a Platoon Commander at Officers Candidate School until joining 3/7 in the fall of 1986. Brigadier General Nicholson was a Rifle Company Commander for Lima 3/7 and subsequently Delta 1/9 until May of 1990.
From June 1990 to July 1993 Brigadier General Nicholson served as a Company Officer and Instructor at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Following completion of The US Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1994, he was assigned to the Middle East as a United Nations Observer for UNTSO Palestine. In 1995 Brigadier General Nicholson reported to Camp Lejeune, NC as the Executive Officer of the Wolfpack of 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
In 1997, Brigadier General Nicholson assumed the duties as the 2nd Marine Division G-3 Operations Officer until taking Command of the WARLORDS of 2nd Bn 2nd Marines in 1999. Following a deployment to the Balkans AO with 26 MEU, he was re-assigned in 2001 as the Executive Officer of the 2nd Marine Regiment.
Upon graduation of the NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy in 2002, he was assigned to NATO HQ in Brussels, Belgium where he served as the Ground Forces Planner for the US Military Delegation to NATO.
In July 2004, Brigadier General Nicholson reported to the 1st Marine Division HQ at Camp Blue Diamond, Iraq where he served as the Division G-3. In July of 2005 Brigadier General Nicholson assumed command of the 5th Marine Regiment which served in Iraq from Jan 2006 to Feb 2007.
Brigadier General Nicholson served as the Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command from August 2007 until August 2008.