Happy Father’s Day to my Dad in Heaven. He is 2nd Lt. R.W. Mullins, USMC. He was KIA 10 Jan. 1945, in VMF-124, on USS Essex. My wife and I were honored guests at their final Reunion many years ago. I was able to meet his CO, BGen Millington, and many of his squadron mates. Save me a place on the flight schedule, Dad!
While Gen. Krulak was a Naval Academy alumni, he did not appoint a Marine general officer as the Superintendent. To date no Marine general officer has ever served as the Superintendent, but we have broken the “glass ceiling” for Academy Commandant of Midshipmen.
a By Public Law 416, 82d Congress, approved 28 June 1952, the Commandant of the US Marine Corps was placed in co-equal status with the members of the JCS when matters of direct concern to the Marine Corps were considered. In 1978, Section 141 of Title 10, US Code, was amended by Public Law 485, 95th Congress, approved 20 October 1978, to provide full membership for the Commandant of the Marine Corps in the JCS.
Effective 1 January 1969 (under Public Law 90-22 approved 5 June 1967
which amended Section 5201(a) of Title 10, US Code) the Commandant of the US Marine Corps is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate for a four-year term and, in time of war, may be reappointed for a term of not more than four years. CMC and his Key Staff did not have collocated office space in the Pentagon until General Krulak forced the issue. He also orchestrated the first Marine to be Superintendent of the U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY.
Meanwhile, an ad hoc group was formed by Vandegrift at the Marine Corps Schools headed by Twining, who first sounded the alarm after hearing Collins’ plans at Noumea. Joining Twining was Lieutenant Colonel Victor “Brute” Krulak, who demonstrated great resourcefulness during the war and would display that ability again on a very different battlefield. Twining and Krulak dominated what was called the “Chowder Society,” their studies and speeches referred to simply as Chowder. This dubbing derived from a popular comic strip, “Barnaby,” whose diminutive and flamboyant title character, much like Krulak in appearance and demeanor, belonged to the “Little Men’s Chowder & Marching Society.”
The threat to the Marines remained undiminished when General Dwight D. Eisenhower succeeded Marshall as Army Chief of Staff. Twining described Eisenhower’s internal reports as “a long series of felonious attacks on the Marine Corps, efforts to cut it down, efforts to belittle it, efforts to do anything possible to demean us. It was a miserable display of malice.”7 Specifically, Eisenhower would limit the Marines to conducting small naval raids, minor landings, and traditional security duties. Citing the numerous amphibious assaults executed by the Army in World War II, he insisted the country could not “afford to provide and maintain two great forces, both of which have identical missions, conducting great landing operations.”8 Eisenhower went even further in letters to friends, writing that “he wanted the Marine Corps abolished, but feared public reaction to such a proposal.”
“Coral and Brass” “Holland M.Smith When I commanded the landing forces at the sixth of our prewar amphibious exercises on the island of Culebra, off Puerto Rico, in the spring of 1940, the strength of the Marine Corps was 1,410 officers and 25,070 enlisted men; equipment included five tanks you could kick your foot through. The total Marine strength during World War II was 599,693, of which 528,479, or nearly 90 percent, served abroad. Extensive and diversified armament included all the latest weapons, amphibious tanks and tractors and thousands of landing craft, all types of mechanized equipment, improved artillery, rockets and flame throwers, as well as carrier-based and shore-based air units that made the Marines the best equipped troops in the world.”!
Good Fathers never forget to eternally love and protect and mentor their spouse and children. The same goes for Great Marines and Our Corps. It is our duty to protect the Corps and pass on wisdom to those who are now temporarily entrusted with leading it.
Amen! And, as unusual as it is in an historical sense , our setting of the sail in the late 1940’s by Marines like Victor Krulak, is once again being put to test by the likes of his son, Charles. I am reminded of General LeJeune’s Birthday message to the Corps in the early 1920’s regarding officer-enlisted relations: master to scholar - father to son. We carry that ethos with us today. So, we need to hang tough,, keep the great ideas flowing & our eye on the ball, and, as Major General Jim Day once said to me, “Bud, all of us are smarter than any of us.” Happy Father’s Day to all Marines out there, & Semper Fidelis!
He Commanded MCRD San Diego in the late 1970s before he was finally presented the MOH. I remember his speech concerning leadership. It was inspiring and magnificent. JAMES LEWIS DAY
DETAILS
RANK: MAJOR GENERAL (RANK AT ACTION: CORPORAL)
CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II
UNIT/COMMAND:
2D BATTALION, 22D MARINES,
6TH MARINE DIVISION
MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. MARINE CORPS
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: MAY 17, 1945
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: OKINAWA, RYUKYU ISLANDS
CITATION
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty as a Squad Leader in sustained combat operations against Japanese forces. On the first day, Corporal Day rallied his squad and the remnants of another unit and led them to a critical position forward of the front lines of Sugar Loaf Hill. Soon thereafter, they came under an intense mortar and artillery barrage that was quickly followed by a ferocious ground attack by some forty Japanese soldiers. Despite the loss of one-half of his men, Corporal Day remained at the forefront, shouting encouragement, hurling hand grenades, and directing deadly fire, thereby repelling the determined enemy. Reinforced by six men, he led his squad in repelling three fierce night attacks but suffered five additional Marines killed and one wounded, whom he assisted to safety. Upon hearing nearby calls for corpsman assistance, Corporal Day braved heavy enemy fire to escort four seriously wounded Marines, one at a time, to safety. Corporal Day then manned a light machine gun, assisted by a wounded Marine, and halted another night attack. In this ferocious action, his machine gun was destroyed, and he suffered multiple white phosphorous and fragmentation wounds. He reorganized his defensive position in time to halt a fifth enemy attack with devastating small arms fire. On three separate occasions, Japanese soldiers closed to within a few feet of his foxhole, but were killed by Corporal Day. During the second day, the enemy conducted numerous unsuccessful swarming attacks against his exposed position. When the attacks momentarily subsided, over 70 enemy dead were counted around his position. On the third day, a wounded and exhausted Corporal Day repulsed the enemy's final attack, killing a dozen enemy soldiers at close range. Having yielded no ground and with more than 100 enemy dead around his position, Corporal Day preserved the lives of his fellow Marines and made a significant contribution to the success of the Okinawa campaign. By his extraordinary heroism, repeated acts of valor, and quintessential battlefield leadership, Corporal Day inspired the efforts of his outnumbered Marines to defeat a much larger enemy force, reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest tradations of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
Gen John Allen USMC (Ret) earlier in his career at a different rank, was 79th Commandant of Midshipmen. Not Superintendent but may have been a first. I have little familiarity w USNA but, remembered this item.
Happy Father’s Day to my Dad in Heaven. He is 2nd Lt. R.W. Mullins, USMC. He was KIA 10 Jan. 1945, in VMF-124, on USS Essex. My wife and I were honored guests at their final Reunion many years ago. I was able to meet his CO, BGen Millington, and many of his squadron mates. Save me a place on the flight schedule, Dad!
Samual:
A slight correction.
While Gen. Krulak was a Naval Academy alumni, he did not appoint a Marine general officer as the Superintendent. To date no Marine general officer has ever served as the Superintendent, but we have broken the “glass ceiling” for Academy Commandant of Midshipmen.
GO NAVY BEAT ARMY, SIR!
Commandant, US Marine Corpsa
From
To
*Gen Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr.
28 Jun 52
31 Dec 55
*Gen Randolph McC. Pate
01 Jan 56
31 Dec 59
*Gen David M. Shoup
01 Jan 60
31 Dec 63
*Gen Wallace M. Greene Jr.
01 Jan 64
31 Dec 67
*Gen Leonard F. Chapman Jr.
01 Jan 68
31 Dec 71
*Gen Robert E. Cushman Jr.
01 Jan 72
30 Jun 75
*Gen Louis H. Wilson
01 Jul 75
30 Jun 79
*Gen Robert H. Barrow
01 Jul 79
30 Jun 83
*Gen Paul X. Kelley
01 Jul 83
30 Jun 87
Gen Alfred M. Gray Jr.
01 Jul 87
30 Jun 91
*Gen Carl E. Mundy Jr.
01 Jul 91
30 Jun 95
Gen Charles C. Krulak
01 Jul 95
30 Jun 99
Gen James L. Jones
01 Jul 99
13 Jan 03
Gen Michael W. Hagee
14 Jan 03
13 Nov 06
Gen James T. Conway
14 Nov 06
21 Oct 10
Gen James F. Amos
22 Oct 10
17 Oct 14
Gen Joseph F. Dunford Jr.
18 Oct 14
23 Sep 15
Gen Robert B. Neller
24 Sep 15
11 Jul 19
Gen David H. Berger
11 Jul 19
* Deceased.
a By Public Law 416, 82d Congress, approved 28 June 1952, the Commandant of the US Marine Corps was placed in co-equal status with the members of the JCS when matters of direct concern to the Marine Corps were considered. In 1978, Section 141 of Title 10, US Code, was amended by Public Law 485, 95th Congress, approved 20 October 1978, to provide full membership for the Commandant of the Marine Corps in the JCS.
Effective 1 January 1969 (under Public Law 90-22 approved 5 June 1967
which amended Section 5201(a) of Title 10, US Code) the Commandant of the US Marine Corps is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate for a four-year term and, in time of war, may be reappointed for a term of not more than four years. CMC and his Key Staff did not have collocated office space in the Pentagon until General Krulak forced the issue. He also orchestrated the first Marine to be Superintendent of the U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY.
USNI..”Heroes Turned Bastards Overnight’
Meanwhile, an ad hoc group was formed by Vandegrift at the Marine Corps Schools headed by Twining, who first sounded the alarm after hearing Collins’ plans at Noumea. Joining Twining was Lieutenant Colonel Victor “Brute” Krulak, who demonstrated great resourcefulness during the war and would display that ability again on a very different battlefield. Twining and Krulak dominated what was called the “Chowder Society,” their studies and speeches referred to simply as Chowder. This dubbing derived from a popular comic strip, “Barnaby,” whose diminutive and flamboyant title character, much like Krulak in appearance and demeanor, belonged to the “Little Men’s Chowder & Marching Society.”
The threat to the Marines remained undiminished when General Dwight D. Eisenhower succeeded Marshall as Army Chief of Staff. Twining described Eisenhower’s internal reports as “a long series of felonious attacks on the Marine Corps, efforts to cut it down, efforts to belittle it, efforts to do anything possible to demean us. It was a miserable display of malice.”7 Specifically, Eisenhower would limit the Marines to conducting small naval raids, minor landings, and traditional security duties. Citing the numerous amphibious assaults executed by the Army in World War II, he insisted the country could not “afford to provide and maintain two great forces, both of which have identical missions, conducting great landing operations.”8 Eisenhower went even further in letters to friends, writing that “he wanted the Marine Corps abolished, but feared public reaction to such a proposal.”
“Coral and Brass” “Holland M.Smith When I commanded the landing forces at the sixth of our prewar amphibious exercises on the island of Culebra, off Puerto Rico, in the spring of 1940, the strength of the Marine Corps was 1,410 officers and 25,070 enlisted men; equipment included five tanks you could kick your foot through. The total Marine strength during World War II was 599,693, of which 528,479, or nearly 90 percent, served abroad. Extensive and diversified armament included all the latest weapons, amphibious tanks and tractors and thousands of landing craft, all types of mechanized equipment, improved artillery, rockets and flame throwers, as well as carrier-based and shore-based air units that made the Marines the best equipped troops in the world.”!
Good Fathers never forget to eternally love and protect and mentor their spouse and children. The same goes for Great Marines and Our Corps. It is our duty to protect the Corps and pass on wisdom to those who are now temporarily entrusted with leading it.
Amen! And, as unusual as it is in an historical sense , our setting of the sail in the late 1940’s by Marines like Victor Krulak, is once again being put to test by the likes of his son, Charles. I am reminded of General LeJeune’s Birthday message to the Corps in the early 1920’s regarding officer-enlisted relations: master to scholar - father to son. We carry that ethos with us today. So, we need to hang tough,, keep the great ideas flowing & our eye on the ball, and, as Major General Jim Day once said to me, “Bud, all of us are smarter than any of us.” Happy Father’s Day to all Marines out there, & Semper Fidelis!
He Commanded MCRD San Diego in the late 1970s before he was finally presented the MOH. I remember his speech concerning leadership. It was inspiring and magnificent. JAMES LEWIS DAY
DETAILS
RANK: MAJOR GENERAL (RANK AT ACTION: CORPORAL)
CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II
UNIT/COMMAND:
2D BATTALION, 22D MARINES,
6TH MARINE DIVISION
MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. MARINE CORPS
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: MAY 17, 1945
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: OKINAWA, RYUKYU ISLANDS
CITATION
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty as a Squad Leader in sustained combat operations against Japanese forces. On the first day, Corporal Day rallied his squad and the remnants of another unit and led them to a critical position forward of the front lines of Sugar Loaf Hill. Soon thereafter, they came under an intense mortar and artillery barrage that was quickly followed by a ferocious ground attack by some forty Japanese soldiers. Despite the loss of one-half of his men, Corporal Day remained at the forefront, shouting encouragement, hurling hand grenades, and directing deadly fire, thereby repelling the determined enemy. Reinforced by six men, he led his squad in repelling three fierce night attacks but suffered five additional Marines killed and one wounded, whom he assisted to safety. Upon hearing nearby calls for corpsman assistance, Corporal Day braved heavy enemy fire to escort four seriously wounded Marines, one at a time, to safety. Corporal Day then manned a light machine gun, assisted by a wounded Marine, and halted another night attack. In this ferocious action, his machine gun was destroyed, and he suffered multiple white phosphorous and fragmentation wounds. He reorganized his defensive position in time to halt a fifth enemy attack with devastating small arms fire. On three separate occasions, Japanese soldiers closed to within a few feet of his foxhole, but were killed by Corporal Day. During the second day, the enemy conducted numerous unsuccessful swarming attacks against his exposed position. When the attacks momentarily subsided, over 70 enemy dead were counted around his position. On the third day, a wounded and exhausted Corporal Day repulsed the enemy's final attack, killing a dozen enemy soldiers at close range. Having yielded no ground and with more than 100 enemy dead around his position, Corporal Day preserved the lives of his fellow Marines and made a significant contribution to the success of the Okinawa campaign. By his extraordinary heroism, repeated acts of valor, and quintessential battlefield leadership, Corporal Day inspired the efforts of his outnumbered Marines to defeat a much larger enemy force, reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest tradations of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
Gen John Allen USMC (Ret) earlier in his career at a different rank, was 79th Commandant of Midshipmen. Not Superintendent but may have been a first. I have little familiarity w USNA but, remembered this item.
I stand corrected . Thank you.