Lieutenant General Panter is presently serving as the Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics, Washington, DC.
Enlisting in the Marine Corps in August 1968, he served until 1972. This included a tour in the Republic of Vietnam with the 1st Marine Division. After graduating in 1975 from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology, he entered Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in July 1975.
Following the The Basic School in 1976, Second Lieutenant Panter attended the Basic Combat Engineer Course. He then served as a Combat Engineer and Shore Party Platoon Commander, Alpha Company, 3D Combat Engineer Battalion, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii participating in several deployments throughout the Western Pacific. Transferred in July 1979 to the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, Georgia, Captain Panter served as the Commanding General's aide-de-camp until 1982. Captain Panter then served as Inspector-Instructor for Headquarters & Service Company and Assistant Battalion Inspector-Instructor, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, Portland, Oregon until 1986. He was later assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington D.C. as an Acquisition Project Officer for engineer equipment.
In 1990 Major Panter was transferred to Okinawa, Japan and served as the Operations Officer and later as the Executive Officer for 3d Combat Engineer Battalion, 3d Marine Division. After being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, he assumed command of the 3d Combat Engineer Battalion. While at 3d Combat Engineer Battalion he participate in Operation FIERY VIGIL, providing disaster relief assistance in the Philippines after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
In 1993 Lieutenant Colonel Panter was transferred to United States Central Command, Tampa, Florida and served as the Branch Chief, Exercise Branch, Logistics and Security Assistance Directorate (J4) and also as the Humanitarian Assessment Survey Team (HAST) Chief.
During 1997 he was transferred to Naples, Italy, where he served as the Military Assistant and Senior Special Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief, United States Naval Forces Europe / Commander, Allied Forces Southern Europe.
In July 1998, Colonel Panter was transferred to United States Atlantic Command, Norfolk, Virginia were he served as the Deputy Chief and later Chief of the Current Operations Division, Operations Directorate (J3). During August 1999 Colonel Panter was transferred to the 2D Marine Aircraft Wing and served as the 2D Marine Aircraft Wing Inspector until assuming command of Marine Wing Support Group 27, which he commanded for two years.
From July 2002 until August 2003, Brigadier General Panter served as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab in Quantico, VA and the Vice Chief, Office of Naval Research.
In September 2003 he assumed command of the 3d Marine Logistics Group. During this tour he commanded the Combined Support Group-Sri Lanka, Operation UNIFIED ASSISTANCE, which was responsible for U.S. military tsunami disaster relief assistance in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Also during this tour, Brigadier General Panter deployed forces to Pakistan for earthquake disaster relief efforts as well as commanding the U.S. forces in Indonesia for earthquake disaster relief operations.
During August 2006 Brigadier Genral Panter was transferred to Headquarters, Marine Corps where he assumed duties as the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics (Plans, Policy and Strategic Mobility).
From 2007 to 2009, Major General Panter served as the Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea and Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategy and Plans, U/C/J-5, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea.
Lieutenant General Panter is a graduate of the United States Army's Advance Engineer Officer's Course, the Marine Corps' Command & Staff College, the Naval War College and the Air Force's Air War College (non resident). He has a Master of Education degree in Secondary Mathematics and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.