Alexander Vandegrift

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Alexander Archer Vandegrift
March 13, 1887 - May 8, 1973
    
18th Commandant of the Marine Corps (1944-1947)
Place of birth Charlottesville, Virginia
Place of death Bethesda, Maryland
Allegiance USMC
Years of service 1909-1949
Rank General
Commands 1st Marine Division
1st Marine Amphibious Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars The Banana Wars
Battle of Guadalcanal
Battle of Empress Augusta Bay
Awards Medal of Honor
Navy Cross
Silver Star
Purple Heart

Alexander Archer Vandegrift (March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973) was a general in the United States Marine Corps. He commanded the 1st Marine Division to victory in the Battle of Guadalcanal; for his actions at Guadalcanal, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Vandegrift later served as the 18th Commandant of the Marine Corps; and was the first Marine to hold the rank of four-star general while on active duty.[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Vandegrift was born on 13 March 1887 in Charlottesville, Virginia. He attended the University of Virginia and was commissioned in the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant on 22 January 1909.

[edit] The Banana Wars

1stLt Vandegrift
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1stLt Vandegrift

Following instruction at the Marine Officers' School, Port Royal, South Carolina, and a tour of duty at the Marine Barracks, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he went to foreign shore duty in the Caribbean area. He participated in the bombardment, assault, and capture of Coyotepe in Nicaragua. He further participated in the engagement and occupation of Vera Cruz, Mexico.

In December 1914, following his promotion to first lieutenant, he attended the Advance Base Course at the Marine Barracks, Philadelphia. Upon completion of schooling, he sailed for Haiti with the 1st Brigade and participated in action against hostile Cacos bandits at Le Trou and Fort Capois, Haiti.

In August 1916, he was promoted to captain and became a member of the Haitian Constabulary at Port Au Prince, where he remained until detached to the United States in December 1918. He returned to Haiti again in July 1919 to serve with the Gendarmerie d'Haiti as an Inspector of Constabulary. He was promoted to major in June 1920.

[edit] 1920s-1930s

Major Vandegrift returned to the U.S. in April 1923 and was assigned to the Marine Barracks, MCB Quantico, Virginia. He completed the Field Officers' Course, Marine Corps Schools in May 1926. He then was transferred to the Marine Corps Base San Diego, California as Assistant Chief of Staff.

In February 1927, he sailed for China where he served as Operations and Training Officer of the 3rd Marine Brigade with Headquarters at Tientsin. He was ordered to Washington, D.C., in September 1928 where he became Assistant Chief Coordinator, Bureau of the Budget.

Following duty in Washington, he joined the Marine Barracks, Quantico, where he became Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1 Section, Fleet Marine Force (FMF). During this assignment, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in June 1934.

Ordered to China in June 1935, LtCol Vandegrift served successively as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment at the American Embassy in Peiping. Promoted to colonel in September 1936, Col Vandegrift reported to Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC), Washington, D.C. in June 1937, where he became Military Secretary to the Major General Commandant. In March 1940, he was appointed Assistant to the Major General Commandant, and the following month was promoted to brigadier general.

[edit] World War II

MajGen Vandegrift, 1942, in his command tent on Guadalcanal
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MajGen Vandegrift, 1942, in his command tent on Guadalcanal

Brigadier General Vandegrift was detached to the 1st Marine Division in November 1941, shortly before the United States of America entered World War II. He was promoted to major general in March 1942 and sailed for the South Pacific Area that May as commanding general of the first Marine division to ever leave the shores of the United States. On 7 August 1942, in the Solomon Islands, he led ashore the 1st Marine Division in the first large-scale offensive action against the Japanese. For outstanding service as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division during the attack on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Gavutu in the Solomon Islands, he was awarded the Navy Cross and for the subsequent occupation and defense from 7 August to 9 December 1942, was awarded the Medal of Honor.

In July 1943, he assumed command of the 1st Marine Amphibious Corps and commanded this organization in the landing at Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, Northern Solomon Islands, on 1 November 1943. Upon establishing the initial beachhead, he relinquished command and returned to Washington, D.C. as Commandant-designate.

[edit] Commandant of the Marine Corps

On 1 January 1944, as a lieutenant general, he was sworn in as the 18th Commandant of the Marine Corps. On 4 April 1945, he was appointed general, with date of rank from 21 March 1945, the first Marine officer on active duty to attain four-star rank.

During his tenure as Commandant, the Marine Corps faced institutional threats from Army efforts to absorb the mission of the Marines. Though the Navy was sympathetic to the Marine Corps's predicament, it was ready to accept the diminishment of the Corps in exchange for keeping Naval Aviation from consolidation attempts by the Air Force. The postwar discussions on the restructuring of the American defense establishment opened the door to diminishing the mission and role of the Marine Corps in the new defense structure. Proponents of such cuts included the president, Harry Truman, and General Dwight Eisenhower. In this power struggle, the Marine Corps aligned itself with Congress, warning against the encroachment on civilian oversight within the Army proposals[2]. To cinch Congress's support, Commandant Vandegrift delivered the famous "bended knee speech" on May 6, 1946. In it, he stated

The Marine Corps, then, believes that it has earned this right—to have its future decided by the legislative body which created it—nothing more. Sentiment is not a valid consideration in determining questions of national security. We have pride in ourselves and in our past, but we do not rest our case on any presumed ground of gratitude owing us from the Nation. The bended knee is not a tradition of our Corps. If the Marine as a fighting man has not made a case for himself after 170 years of service, he must go. But I think you will agree with me that he has earned the right to depart with dignity and honor, not by subjugation to the status of uselessness and servility planned for him by the War Department.[3].

For outstanding service as Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1 January 1944 to 30 June 1946, Gen Vandergrift was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He left active service on 31 December 1947 and was placed on the retired list on 1 April 1949.

General Vandegrift died 8 May 1973 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, after a long illness. He was 86. His interment was on 10 May 1973 at Arlington National Cemetery.

[edit] Criticisms

  • According to the film "Flag of our Fathers", Vandergrift was highly annoyed with PFC Ira Hayes when he noticed him drunk after a public appearance. Vandergrift stated clearly "Damn Indians!" as he left. This statement, however, is not found in the Bradley's text.
  • According to a documentary on racial integration in the U.S. Military, Vandegrift was said to have stated "I would rather have five thousand white Marines than twenty-five thousand black Marines".

[edit] Decorations, medals, and honors

He received the following foreign decorations:

General Vandegrift held an honorary degree of Doctor of Military Science from Pennsylvania Military College, and honorary degrees of Doctor of Law from Harvard, Colgate, Brown, Columbia, and Maryland Universities and John Marshall College.

In 1982, the frigate, USS Vandegrift (FFG-48) was named in his honor.

[edit] See also

Portal:United States Marine Corps
 United States Marine Corps Portal

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ USMC 4 Star Generals. The Warfighter's Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2006-10-06.
  2. ^ Krulak, Victor H. (1984). First To Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-785-2. Chapter 7, The Marines' Push Button 113-119
  3. ^ Vandegrift, Alexander (2006-05-06). Bended Knee Speech. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
LtGen. Thomas Holcomb		 Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
1943—1947		 Succeeded by:
Gen. Clifton B. Cates
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../a/l/e/Alexander_Vandegrift_600d.html"
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