Gehman was born in
Norfolk, Virginia on October 15, 1942, and graduated from
Pennsylvania State University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science in
Industrial Engineering and a commission in the Navy from the
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. A Surface Warfare Officer, he served at all levels of leadership and command in
guided missile destroyers and
cruisers. During the course of his career, Gehman had five sea commands in ranks from Lieutenant to
Rear Admiral. Gehman served in
Vietnam as
Officer in Charge of a
Swift patrol boat and later in
Chu Lai as Officer in Charge of a detachment of six swift boats and their crews. He subsequently served as executive officer of from March 1971 to February 1973. Gehman attended the
Armed Forces Staff College from August 1975 to January 1976. He then commanded from January 1976 to June 1978, from December 1980 to September 1983, from February 1988 to June 1989 and
Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8 from July 1993 to July 1994. His staff assignments were both afloat on a
Carrier Battle Group staff and ashore on a fleet commander's staff, a Unified Commander's staff and in Washington, D.C. on the staff of the
Chief of Naval Operations (four tours). Promoted to four-star Admiral in 1996, he became the 29th Vice Chief of Naval Operations in September 1996. As Vice Chief of Naval Operations he was a member of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, formulated the Navy's $70 billion budget and developed and implemented policies governing the 375,000 people in the Navy. Assigned in September 1997 as Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic and Commander-in-Chief,
United States Atlantic Command (later changed to Joint Forces Command), he became one of NATO's two military commanders and assumed command of all forces of all four services in the continental United States and became responsible for the provision of ready forces to the other Unified Commanders in Chief and for the development of new joint doctrine, training and requirements. He retired from the Navy in October 2000. ==Awards and decorations==