Victor H. Krulak
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| Victor H. Krulak | |
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| Born January 7, 1913 | |
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| Nickname | "Brute" |
| Place of birth | Denver, Colorado |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1934 - 1968 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | 2nd Parachute Battalion 5th Marine Regiment Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Fleet Marine Force, Pacific |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Vella Lavella *Raid on Choiseul *Battle of Okinawa Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Navy Cross Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star Purple Heart |
| Other work | Newspaper columnist[1] |
Victor H. Krulak (born January 7, 1913 in Denver, Colorado) was a decorated United States Marine Corps officer who saw action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Krulak, considered a visionary by fellow Marines,[2] is the author of First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps and the father of Charles C. Krulak the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps.
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[edit] Marine Corps career
Victor H. Krulak was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy on May 31, 1934. His early Marine Corps service included: sea duty aboard USS Arizona, an assignment at the U.S. Naval Academy; duty with the 6th Marines in San Diego and the 4th Marines in China (1937-39); completion of the Junior School, Quantico, VA (1940); and an assignment with the 1st Marine Brigade, FMF, later the 1st Marine Division.
[edit] World War II
At the outbreak of World War II, he was a captain serving as aide to the Commanding General, Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet, General Holland M. Smith. He volunteered for parachute training and on completing training was ordered to the Pacific area as commander of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, 1st Marine Amphibious Corps. He went into action at Vella Lavella with the 2nd New Zealand Brigrade.
As a Lieutenant Colonel in the fall of 1943, he earned the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart on Choiseul Island, where his battalion staged a week-long diversionary raid to cover the Bougainville invasion. Later, he joined the newly formed 6th Marine Division and took part in the Okinawa campaign and the surrender of Japanese forces in the China area, earning the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and the Bronze Star.
- Navy Cross citation
- The Navy Cross is presented to Victor H. Krulak, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of the Second Battalion, First Marine Parachute Regiment, during operations on Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands, October 28 to November 3, 1943. Assigned the task of diverting hostile attention from the movements of our main attack force en route to Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville Island, Lieutenant Colonel Krulak landed at Choiseul and daringly directed the attack of his battalion against the Japanese, destroying hundreds of tons of supplies and burning camps and landing barges. Although wounded during the assault on 30 October he repeatedly refused to relinquish his command and with dauntless courage and tenacious devotion to duty, continued to lead his battalion against the numerically superior Japanese forces. His brilliant leadership and indomitable fighting spirit assured the success of this vital mission and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.[3]
[edit] Post-war years
After the war, Krulak returned to the United States and served as Assistant Director of the Senior School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, and, later, as Regimental Commander of the 5th Marines at Camp Pendleton. He was serving as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, when the Korean War erupted, and subsequently served in Korea as Chief of Staff, 1st Marine Division, earning a second Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and Air Medal.
From 1951 to 1955, Krulak served at Headquarters Marine Corps as Secretary of the General Staff, then rejoined Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, as Chief of Staff. In July 1956, he was promoted to brigadier general and designated Assistant Commander, 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa. From 1957 to 1959, he served as Director, Marine Corps Educational Center, Quantico. He was promoted to major general in November 1959, and the following month assumed command of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.
General Krulak was presented a third Legion of Merit by General Maxwell D. Taylor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for exceptionally meritorious service from 1962 to 1964 as Special Assistant for Counter Insurgency Activities, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On March 1, 1964, he was designated Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, and promoted to Lieutenant General.
[edit] Vietnam War
For the next four years, Krulak was responsible for all Fleet Marine Force units in the Pacific, including some 54 trips to the Vietnam theater. At the beginning of the War, Krulak put forward the "Spreading Inkblot Theory." This promoted a spreading inkblot of small units actions to pacify South Vietnam village by village. When large enemy units were encountered then General Westmoreland's overwhelming firepower should be employed. He also called for intensive bombing of North Vietnam and mining of Haiphong Harbor. Krulak's plans were eventually rejected as Westmoreland favored hammering the enemy into submission through superior firepower and the Johnson administration feared relentless bombing of the North would provoke Soviet and Chinese intervention.[4]
LtGen Krulak retired on June 1, 1968, receiving a Distinguished Service Medal for his performance during that period.
[edit] Medals and decorations
Krulak's medals and decorations include:[5] the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and two Gold Stars in lieu of second and third awards, the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation with three bronze stars indicative of second through fourth awards, the China Service Medal with one bronze star, the American Defense Service Medal with Base clasp, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp, the National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star, the Korean Service Medal with four bronze stars, the Vietnam Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Korean Order of Service Merit second class, the Republic of Vietnam National Order Medal third class, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, two Korean Presidential Unit Citations, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
[edit] Books written by Victor Krulak
- (1991) First to Fight: View of the U.S. Marines. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671730126.
- (1990) Panama: An Assessment. U.S. Strategic Institute. ISBN ISBN 0913187038.
- (1983) Organization for National Security: A Study. U.S. Strategic Institute. ISBN ISBN 0913187003.
[edit] Honors
In 2004, LtGen Krulak was the recipient of the U.S. Naval Academy's Distinguished Graduate award, which honors alumni who have "provided a lifetime of service to the nation or armed forces, have made significant and distinguished contributions to the nation via their public service and have demonstrated a strong interest in supporting the Navy or Marine Corps and the United States Naval Academy. These individuals are the embodiment of the Naval Academy’s mission to provide graduates who will be ready '…to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.'"[6]
In 2007, at the Marine Corps Association's first annual banquet, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recounted the story of Krulak's time in China and his career:[7]
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Krulak’s was, of course, a legendary career: Navy Cross; counterinsurgency advisor to the Joint Staff; commander of the Fleet Marines in the Pacific during the Vietnam War; and, father of a future Marine Commandant, Chuck Krulak.... Victor Krulak’s story and accomplishments teach us a good deal:
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[edit] See also
2008
He now is retired and residing at Wesley Palms Retirement Home, in San Diego, CA.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Letter from Victor H. Krulak to Mr. Fletcher Prouty, 15 March 1985.
- ^ Prominent Marines. Marine Corps Legacy Museum. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
- ^ Navy Cross Awards to members of the U.S. Marines in World War II. HomeOfHeroes.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
- ^ Crocker(2006): 365.
- ^ Who's Who in Marine Corps History.
- ^ Kurz, Laura (2004). 2004 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients Honored. Shipmate Magazine. U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
- ^ "Marine Corps Association Annual Dinner (Arlington, VA) — Remarks as by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates", July 18, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
[edit] References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.- Web
- Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, USMC (Retired). Who's Who in the Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- Bibliography
- Crocker, H.W. (2006). Don't Tread on me: A 400-year history of America at War, from Indian Fighting to Terrorist Hunting. Crown Forum. ISBN 1-40005-363-3.
- Krulak, Victor H. Organization for National Security, Cambridge, Massachusetts: United States Strategic Institute, 1983. (ISBN 0-913187-00-3)
- Krulak, Victor H. First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps, Anapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1984. (ISBN 0-87021-785-2) [This book is on the Chief of Naval Operations' Professional Reading List[1] and the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Reading List.[2]]
[edit] Further reading
- Chapin, Captain John C., USMCR (Retired) (1997). Diversionary Landings. Top of the Ladder: Marine Operations in the Northern Solomons. Marines in World War II Commemorative Series, Marine Corps Historical Center, United States Marines Corps. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
- Hove, Duane T. (2003). American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II, Burd Street Press, ISBN 1-57249-307-0.
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