Retired four-star General John Kelly is a 45-year Marine veteran who headed the U.S. Southern Command, where he focused on U.S. border security, organized crime, terrorist organizations and drug traffickers in his Latin American region for more than three years. Less than a year after retiring in 2016, General Kelly was offered the opportunity to serve the nation and its people again, now as the secretary of Homeland Security. After he and his family served a lifetime in service to the nation — and knowing no other life — the opportunity to serve again was welcomed. The U.S. Senate gave him and his family the great honor of confirming him on January 20, 2017, and he was immediately sworn in as the fifth secretary of Homeland Security. After six months, he was selected to serve as White House chief of staff, a position he held until January 2019. Kelly earned a reputation for being an aggressive enforcer of ethics, established Homeland Security policy, and, most importantly, the law.