Major General Gurganus is currently serving as the Commanding General for I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward.

Major General "Mark" Gurganus graduated from the University of North Carolina and was commissioned in May 1976. After The Basic School, he served as a Rifle Platoon Commander and Company Executive Officer in 2d Battalion, 1st Marines (1977-1979).

Other operational assignments included assistant Operations Officer, Rifle Company Commander, and Weapons Company Commander with 3d Battalion, 6th Marines (1984-1987); Commanding Officer, 3d Battalion, 6th Marines and G-7, 2d Marine Division (1995-1997); G-3 Current Operations Officer, III Marine Expeditionary Force (2001-2002); Deputy Commander, 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2002-2003); Commanding Officer, 8th Marine Regiment (2003-2005); Commanding Officer, Regimental Combat Team 8 (March 2005-August 2005) in Al Anbar Province, Iraq; Operations Officer, 2d Marine Division; Assistant Division Commander 2d Marine Division (2006-2008); as Assistant Division Commander served as the Ground Combat Element Commander, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in Al Anbar, Iraq (February 2007-February 2008); and as U/C/J-5 of United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea (2009-2011).

Supporting Establishment duties included Executive Officer and Commanding Officer, Marine Detachment, USS America (CV-66)(1979-1981); Aide de Camp to CG, MCB, Camp Lejeune (1981-1982); Company Commander at the Infantry Training School (1982-1983); Depot Training Officer, OIC of the Field Training Unit, and Operations Officer of Support Battalion at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. (1987-1990); OCS Company Commander (1990); and MAGTF Staff Training Program Instructor (1992-1995). Joint assignments include Chief, Deployable Training Team, Joint Warfighting Center, U.S. Joint Forces command (1998-2001).

Professional Military Education assignments include Infantry Officers Advanced Course, Fort Benning, GA; Marine Corps Command and Staff College and School of Advanced Warfighting, Quantico, VA; and National War College, Washington, D.C.