Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr.COLCHESTER, Vt. (AP) - President Barack Obama's nominee to become commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan has ties to Vermont.
Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. is a 1977 of St. Michael's College in Colchester.
Dunford also is assistant commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and a combat veteran who led a regiment in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Obama nominated Dunford on Oct. 10 to be the top commander in Afghanistan. The appointment requires Senate confirmation.
It's expected that if he's confirmed, Dunford will preside over the withdrawal of most of the 68,000 American troops in Afghanistan expected by the end of 2014.
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