WSU to honor James Mattis

Feb. 23—Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and four-star Marine Corps General James Mattis will receive Washington State University's first Thomas S. Foley Award for Distinguished Service in April.

According to a WSU news release, the award recognizes individuals "who have demonstrated integrity, courage, and a commitment to democratic values in public service and whose body of work has had a lasting impact."

Mattis was born in Pullman and began his military career in 1969, when he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. He served in Afghanistan and Iraq before retiring from active service in 2013. He served as United States Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2019.

The Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service was established at WSU in 1995 to honor the service of Foley.

Mattis will receive the award April 9 in a ceremony at the John J. Hemmingson Center on the Gonzaga University campus in Spokane. The event is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Ed Schweitzer and the Spokesman-Review newspaper.