Marine legend Lt Gen Victor Krulak dies at 95

Lt Gen Victor Krulak, who headed the US Marine forces in the Pacific during part of the Vietnam War, died in San Diego on Monday. He was 95.

Lt Gen Victor Krulak, who headed all US Marine forces in the Pacific during part of the Vietnam War, died in San Diego. He was 95.

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Staff at the Wesley Palms Retirement Community confirmed Krulak died in San Diego on Monday night. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Krulak commanded about 100,000 Marines in the Pacific from 1964 to 1968 -- a span that saw the United States dramatically increase its troop buildup in Vietnam.

Krulak, nicknamed "Brute" for his direct, no nonsense style, was a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War. At age 43 he became the youngest brigadier general in Marine Corps history up to that time.

His son Charles Krulak served as commandant -- the Marines' top post -- from 1995 to 1999.