Colonel Stuart 'Pit Bull' Knoll says goodbye to his MAG-16 Marines
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BY STAFF SGT. A.C. MINK
SPECIAL TO THE CHIPPEWA HERALD
4/27/2004

AL ASAD, Iraq -- One of Marine Aircraft Group 16's most well-liked and respected commanding officers, Col. Stuart L. "Pit Bull" Knoll, said goodbye to his troops and passed the flag to Col. Guy M. "Guyser" Close here earlier this month.

With his career spanning nearly 28 years, all but one spent as a pilot, it's hard to believe that the soft-spoken Chippewa Falls man earned the call sign "Pit Bull."

"When I was at (Marine Corps Air Station) Cherry Point, where I used to test planes, I wasn't too good on the phone when people ticked me off," he half-explained, laughing. "They started to call me 'Pit Bull in a flightsuit' and it just stuck."

Col. Jeffrey L. Marshall, battle captain with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing operations and friend of Knoll, said, "They call him Pit Bull because once he gets fired up about something, he attacks it and hangs on like a pit bull."

"That was a long time ago," Knoll said. "I try to keep (Pit Bull) hidden now."

Though recently, when an issue arose concerning the safety of his Marines, Knoll admits that 'Pit Bull' did return.

"We had some very loud discussions," he said.

The safety of his Marines is an issue Knoll has taken seriously throughout his career, and for the past two years as commanding officer of MAG-16.

On to Iraq

He was already commanding officer of MAG-16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, headquartered aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., when in December 2002 he was designated commanding officer of Landing Force West. The landing force was comprised of nearly 5,000 Marines and sailors, set to deploy overseas with a seven-ship Amphibious Task Force.

Like a scene from a movie, Knoll stood before MAG-16 Marines in January 2003 preparing to deploy aboard the USS Boxer (LHD-4), and told his soldiers he was leading them out and he'd be leading them home. The following day, Landing Force West departed for the Persian Gulf -- at that time, part of the largest amphibious deployment from the West Coast since the Korean War.

Operation Iraqi Freedom kicked off March 19, 2003. The MAG and its squadrons provided around-the-clock assault support as well as tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel and casualty evacuation in support of combat operations.

MAG-16 assets also led the assault support of Umm Qasr in support of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Throughout the period, MAG-16 planned and executed several high-risk inserts of Special Operations forces forward of the friendly line of troops.

Commanded by Knoll, MAG-16 provided the 10 assault support helicopters used in the raid on Saddam Hospital, An Nasiriyah, Iraq, on April 1, 2003, in search of American prisoners of war. They inserted 288 Army Rangers under the cover of darkness. The raid successfully rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch. The raid also recovered nine Americans killed in action and two Iraqis.

This action was typical of the Marines and sailors of MAG-16 throughout the period, according to Knoll. In peace or in combat, they are true professionals ready to take on any mission worldwide, he added.

"I am both pleased and proud of the superb job the Marines and sailors have performed," Knoll said in a 2003 interview. "They are all heroes in my eyes."

"Pit Bull" kept his word -- he brought every one of his Marines home with him in 2003.

Knoll inspires loyalty

In a message to Knoll, Maj. Gen. James F. Amos, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said, "Your inspirational leadership, insightful planning and expert utilization of assets allowed MAG-16 to successfully complete a challenging deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. . . Your skill, drive and professionalism ensured that each and every Marine that left with MAG-16 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom returned home safe."

In 2004, Knoll led MAG-16 back to Iraq, this time to establish shore-based aviation operations in western Iraq in support of I MEF operations. This time, the command was comprised of units from the East and West Coast to include Reserve Forces, Naval servicemembers and the Army's 507th Medical Company (Air Ambulance).

Knoll says he is honored to serve with all. When asked about the differences between his reserve Marines and his active-duty Marines, he said, "There is none. I'd have a darned hard time trying to pick out the differences. They are all incredible."

That kind of spirit has fostered an almost fierce loyalty to the colonel in many of the Marines and sailors who deployed with him last year.

"I was with Colonel Knoll last time," said Cpl. Miguel Mendoza, supply administration clerk of MAG-16. "He brought us all back -- his word was his bond when he said that."

Mendoza, a native of Mundelein, Ill., noted that even within days of his change of command, Knoll took time to fly one more mission -- a casualty evacuation mission, returning here on April 14.

"It shows a lot that he's getting out . . . and he's still out here flying missions," Mendoza said. "He's not dropping his pack. (He's) showing his Marines that he's leaving because he has to go, not because he wants to go."

However, when asked about his success and the loyalty of his subordinates, Knoll first discussed his history, and then repeatedly pointed toward those same subordinates as the "future."

From UW-EC to Marines

Knoll has had 30 years to compile a diverse history.

With a bachelor of science from the University of Wisconsin -- Eau Claire, Knoll was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1976, and headed to Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., for flight training.

From there he transferred to MCAS New River, N.C., for CH-46 training. He was attached to HMM 264, where he participated in two deployments.

In 1982, then-Capt. Knoll was assigned to the 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, where in Aug. 25 of that year he deployed to Beirut, Lebanon. In the first of six tours in combat he worked as a communications relay and as part of the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force there.

"It's all new to you, so you are constantly learning," Knoll said. "I learned to take care of people and the hazards of the area. I learned that there are parts of the world that defy description to the average American.

"I learned from it and carried that with me when I took my Marines into Operation Iraqi Freedom. I drew on it to tell them what to expect, because it's a different environment and things that make sense in the U.S. just don't make sense there," he said.

Later -- after transferring to Naval Air Rework Facility in MCAS Cherry Point, N.C., as the assistant flight test officer for both fixed and rotary wing aircraft -- he watched, stunned, as the television showed the loss from the bombing of the battalion landing team building in Beirut.

"I was angry; like we should have seen it coming," said Knoll in a series of interviews. "I remember the room, the life . . . and we felt secure. Now I know . . . we're never 100 percent safe."

In 1988, Knoll transferred to MAG-16 with HMM 166. Upon returning from a western pacific cruise in 1990, then-Maj. Knoll was transferred to the Marine Corps Air Facility in Quantico, Va., where he served as the executive officer for the Presidential Helicopter Squadron.

Presidential pilot

While there, Knoll was designated Marine-1 and Presidential Command Pilot, flying President George Herbert Walker Bush and President William Jefferson Clinton maintaining designations in the VH-3D, VH-60N and the CH-46E helicopters.

In May 1996, then-Lt. Col. Knoll deployed to the Mediterranean aboard the USS Saipan (LHA-2) with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit as commander of the Aviation Combat Element, with HMM-266. While deployed, he participated in Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia.

Knoll received his masters degree in international studies from the National War College in 1998. Upon graduation, he transferred to the Pentagon where he served at Headquarters Marine Corps and the Joint Staff before transferring back to MAG-16, this time as the commanding officer.

Drawing on his experience in Beirut and the other combat missions, Knoll personally reviews all the security procedures when his units are deployed.

"It's my job to look at a worst case scenario, so I can prepare for a response," he said.

Ultimately, however, you cannot prepare for everything, and though Knoll brought everyone home in 2003, that is not true with his most recent deployment to Iraq.

"We lost one Marine to a rocket attack," said Knoll, who spoke frankly about the loss of a fellow Marine in combat in a previous interview. "It is never easy to lose one of your own. However, we train and prepare, so that we can continue with the mission.

"It's different when in combat. When you are in the rear, your job is important, but many times it is not life threatening. Out here, your very life is dependent on the Marine to the right and left of you doing their jobs, and you doing yours."

Knoll praised the accomplishments of his Marines and sailors, from "aviators to metalsmiths, from supply to medical."

"We have aircraft shot up and in under 24 hours it's back in flight," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "We have CASEVACs from phone call to pickup and back in under a half-hour -- to the flightline faster than ambulances can get there to get them off the helicopters. And (my troops) do not know how good they are. They have my utmost admiration and respect."

Credits family, staff

Knoll admits he could not have gotten where he is today without the love and support of his wife, Patricia, who helped spearhead the Key Volunteer program in North Carolina in the 1980s. Pat, as she is called by all who know her, kept the families of MAG-16 together in the rear, as Knoll took care of their servicemembers.

"She wrote the book on how to do it right," he said.

Knoll downplayed his own professional success, instead attributing it all to his family and his staff. His approach to leadership is to build leaders, empowering them to make their own decisions and thereby fostering growth.

"I wanted them to realize that it doesn't really matter what I think works," he said. "It was for them to find out what works for them."

Knoll's executive officer, Lt. Col. J.K. Arruda, said, "He puts a lot of trust in subordinates . . . just lets them execute without micromanaging. When I came to work for him, he told me, 'I'll let you know when you're not doing what I want you to do.' He was letting me run with the ball. You don't see that with a lot of (commanding officers).

"That allows the opportunity for one to put a lot of effort into doing the very best job," he said.

That kind of faith and confidence in the troops instills a faith and confidence in the leader, according to Arruda.

"Colonel Knoll is an immensely popular and respected leader," said Close, who has spent the last month shadowing Knoll, observing and getting to know the group. "I have a tough act to follow. However, I'm really lucky; I've been blessed with staff members -- Marines and sailors -- who are an absolute team of all-stars."

Knoll, whose actual retirement date is in October, said goodbye to his Marines in typical "Pit Bull" fashion -- with the enthusiasm of one who knows his Marines and is confident they will continue in the mission he started with them.

"Wow! What a ride!" he said, addressing those in attendance at his change of command ceremony. Above all, he thanked his Marines and sailors and their families, saying, "You have been my inspiration."

When asked whether he might be tempted to stay in, he said, "Why would I? I have worked with incredible Marines who have done some incredible things. It just doesn't get any better than this."

Staff Sgt. Angela C. Mink has been reporting on Col. Knoll and his Marines since he came to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. She volunteered to transfer to Marine Aircraft Group 16 so she could work for Knoll and his Marines as their public affairs chief and deploy with them to Iraq.