Dion Williams | |
|---|---|
 Brigadier General Dion Williams | |
| Nickname | Father of Marine amphibious reconnaissance[1] |
| Born | (1869-12-18)December 18, 1869 Williamsburg, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 1952(1952-12-11) (aged 82) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Service years | 1893–1934 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Commands | 10th Marine Regiment 2nd Provisional Marine Brigade 4th Marine Regiment Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps |
| Conflicts | Spanish–American War |
| Awards | Navy Distinguished Service Medal |
Brigadier General Dion Williams (December 15, 1869 – December 11, 1952) was an officer in theUnited States Marine Corps. He was the sixthassistant commandant of the Marine Corps from August 1, 1925 – July 1, 1928. During his early career, Williams pioneered the first conceptual study ofamphibious reconnaissance in theUnited States and becoming one of the strongest advocates in having theMarine Corps assume the amphibious,expeditionary role. During his career, he fought guerrillas in thePhilippines andDominican Republic during theSpanish–American War.
Williams is credited in the persuasion of Admiral Dewey in 1907 to assert Congress that "a force of 5,000 Marines with a Fleet" would have ensued thePhilippine–American War following the Spanish defeat.[2] This 'force' was the first of the doctrinal sequence of the establishment of theAdvanced Base Force, its titulageAmerican Expeditionary Force and subsequently its modern namesake,Fleet Marine Force.
Williams retired from the Marine Corps in 1934, spending the rest of his life inMaryland.
Dion Williams was born inWilliamsburg, Ohio, on December 15, 1869.
On June 30, 1891, he graduated from theUnited States Naval Academy.
After completing the required 2-year sea duty aboard theUSSAtlanta as amidshipman, he was commissioned a2nd Lieutenant in theUnited States Marine Corps on July 1, 1893. He attended the School of Application before he served at theMarine Barracks, New York, and theMarine Barracks, Mare Island until 1897.
He was married to Helen Mar Ames on February 20, 1895.[3]
He participated in the May 1, 1898Battle of Manila Bay while serving aboard theUSSBaltimore' underAdmiralGeorge Dewey. Lt. Williams landed a company of Marines at aSpanish naval arsenal yard atCavite in thePhilippine Islands, securing the naval station,[4] and hoisting the first American flag raised over Spanish soil in theSpanish–American War.
Until 1902, Williams served atMarine Barracks, Charleston. In 1902, he commanded a Marine detachment sent to disarm Colombian troops threatening Americans during theminor revolt inPanama.
For two more years, he served in various engagements of thePhilippine–American War. From 1902 to 1904, he was fleet Marine officer of the Atlantic Fleet.
In March 1905, Major Williams reported to theNaval War College for two years. By 1906, Williams wrote a study,Naval Reconnaissance, Instructions for the Reconnaissance of Bays, Harbors, and Adjacent Country, which eventually became the first doctrine in United States history concerning the pertinent missions of amphibious reconnaissance.[5] He focused primarily on the establishment and employment of an assault force specialized in conducting pre-assault reconnaissance. Many of the reconnaissance ideas advanced in his studies surpassed and were eventually incorporated in the 1934Tentative Manual for Landing Operations.
From 1907 to 1909, he was fleet Marine officer of theUnited States Fleet. From 1909 to 1912, he served on the staff of theOffice of Naval Intelligence.
From 1912 to 1915, he commanded the American Legation Guard inPeking, China. From 1915 to 1918, he was Marine Corps representative to theGeneral Board of the Navy. From 1918, he was commanding officer of10th Marine Regiment atMCB Quantico, where he remained to prepare his regiment for combat duty in France.
Afterwards, Williams became the commanding officer of2nd Provisional Marine Brigade for pacification duty in theDominican Republic. Returning to MCB Quantico in 1921, he assumed command of the 4th Marine Brigade as part of the East Coast Expeditionary Force participating in the ongoingadvanced baseexercises held by theNavy'sNorth Atlantic Fleet onCulebra.
During the 1924 Winter Maneuvers, he witnessed the first use of an experimental "amphibious" tank mounted with a75-mm gun, as well as the "beetle boats" used as amphibious transports.
From 1925, Williams was assistant to theMarine Commandant. From April 1929 through 1930, General Williams was in command of the Marine Occupation Force in Nicaragua. Until his retirement on January 1, 1934, he was editor of theMarine Corps Gazette while on duty atHeadquarters Marine Corps.
After retirement, Williams remained active, authoring several articles on officer professional education and the curriculum at Marine Corps schools, and participating in Marine Corps affairs. In January 1942, he participated in a ceremony atAnnapolis, Maryland, where the same flag is now enshrined. It was just after the evacuation of the Cavite Naval Base to the Japanese.
After an illness of several months, died at age 82 at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, near theDistrict of Columbia. Brigadier General Williams was buried withfull military honors on December 15, 1952, inArlington National Cemetery. He was survived by his widow, Helen.
Marine Brigadier General Dion Williams ... emphasized that the most essential factor in an amphibious landing was to 'get men and matériel ... on the beach in the shortest possible time with the least confusion and in the best condition for immediate action. ... It is therefore vital that every effort should be made to provide beforehand suitable means ...'
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)The genealogy for amphibious reconnaissance dates to 1906 when Major Dion Williams, USMC authored theNaval Reconnaissance, Instructions for the Reconnaissance of Bays, Harbors and Adjacent Country.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Marine Corps.
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