Alexander Vandegrift | |
|---|---|
 18th Commandant of the Marine Corps (1944–1947) | |
| Birth name | Alexander Archer Vandegrift |
| Nickname | Archie[1] |
| Born | (1887-03-13)March 13, 1887 |
| Died | May 8, 1973(1973-05-08) (aged 86) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1909–1949 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Commandant of the Marine Corps I Marine Amphibious Corps 1st Marine Division |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards |
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| Spouses |
|
| Children | Col. Alexander Vandegrift, Jr. |
Alexander Archer Vandegrift (March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973) was aUnited States Marine Corps highly decorated four-stargeneral,Medal of Honor recipient, and aCommandant of the Marine Corps. DuringWorld War II, he commanded the1st Marine Division to victory in its first ground offensive of the war, theBattle of Guadalcanal. For his actions on August 7, 1942 in the Solomon Islands, he was awarded theNavy Cross; and, for his actions from August 7 to December 9, 1942, during theSolomon Islands campaign, he received theMedal of Honor.[2] Vandegrift later served as the 18thCommandant of the Marine Corps. He was the firstfour-star general on active duty in the Marine Corps.[3]
Alexander Archer Vandegrift was born on March 13, 1887, inCharlottesville, Virginia, where his father was an architect and contractor.[4] Vandegrift was ofDutch ancestry, all of which had been inNorth America since the 1600s. It was once facetiously remarked that he "never had aCatholic ancestor."[5] The young Vandegrift, known as "Archer" in his boyhood,[4] had an interest in the military both from reading military history novels and from stories of ancestors who fought in various wars.[6] He graduated fromCharlottesville High School.[7] During his childhood, he was a big fan ofG.A. Henty novels and history. In particular, he read a lot about theBattle of Trafalgar and theBattle of Waterloo and described himself as a "big fan" ofArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington andHoratio Nelson.[5]
He attended theUniversity of Virginia from 1906 to 1908.[8] He left (without a degree) after two years to accept his commission into the Marine Corps.[9]
Vandegrift received his commission in theU.S. Marine Corps through a week-long competitive examination in 1908.[10][11] He became a second lieutenant on January 22, 1909.
At the Marine Corps Schools in 1909, he wrote a prophetic article, "Aviation, the Cavalry of the Future."[5] As commandant, he was appointed to the Hogaboom Board, named for then-Major GeneralHogaboom, which began the Marines' development of vertical envelopment, the use of helicopters for air assault.[12]
During his early years in the Marine Corps, as a second lieutenant, Vandegrift was very nearly dismissed from the Marine Corps for disciplinary infractions and negative evaluations.[13] In his first Marine Corps evaluation, dated June 30, 1909, Vandegrift received an overall rating of "Not Good" with these remarks from the Commander of the Marine Officers School:
This officer has not shown that he appreciates the responsibilities of his position as an officer, and unless there is a decisive improvement, his relations will not be to the advantage of the service.
In Vandegrift's next evaluation, in December 1909, he received a "Good and Tolerable" rating. The next was rated as "Excellent" upon reporting to the Marine Corps Barracks, Navy Yard,Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1910.[14]
Following instruction at theMarine Officers' School atPort Royal, South Carolina, his first tour of duty was at the Marine Barracks at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In 1912, he went to foreign shore duty in the Caribbean, first toCuba and then toNicaragua, where he participated in the bombardment, assault, and capture ofCoyotepe Fortress. In 1914, he participated in the engagement andoccupation of Veracruz,Mexico.
In December 1914, after his promotion to first lieutenant, he attended the Advance Base Course at the Marine Barracks,Philadelphia.[11] Upon completion of training, he sailed forHaiti with the1st Marines Regiment and participated inaction against Cacos bandits at Le Trou and Fort Capois, Haiti.
In August 1916, he was promoted to captain and became a member of the HaitianConstabulary atPort-au-Prince, where he remained until he was detached to the United States in December 1918. He returned to Haiti again in July 1919, to serve with theGendarmerie d'Haiti as an Inspector of Constabulary. He was promoted to major in June 1920.
Major Vandegrift returned to the U.S. in April 1923[15] and was assigned to the Marine Barracks,Marine Corps Base Quantico,Virginia.[16] He completed the Field Officers' Course, Marine Corps Schools, in May 1926. He was then transferred to theMarine Corps Base San Diego,California, as assistant chief of staff.[16]
In February 1927, he sailed forChina, where he served as operations and training officer of the3rd Marines with headquarters atTianjin. He was ordered toWashington, D.C., in September 1928, where he became assistant chief coordinator, Bureau of the Budget.[16]
After his duty in Washington, he joined the Marine Barracks, Quantico, where he became assistant chief of staff, G-1 Section,Fleet Marine Force (FMF). During that assignment, in June 1934, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.[16]
Ordered to China in June 1935, Lieutenant Colonel Vandegrift served successively as executive officer and commanding officer of the Marine detachment at the American embassy inBeiping. Promoted to colonel in September 1936, Vandegrift reported toHeadquarters Marine Corps (HQMC), Washington, D.C., in June 1937, where he becameMilitary Secretary to the Major General Commandant. In March 1940, he was appointedAssistant to the Major General Commandant, and the following month, he was promoted to brigadier general.[16]
Brigadier General Vandegrift was ordered to the1st Marine Division in November 1941. Shortly before the U.S. entered World War II, he had become on December 7, the assistant commander of the First Marine Division.[16]
In March and April 1942, Vandegrift was promoted to major general and assumed command of the First Marine Division. In May, the First Marine Division and the South Pacific Amphibious Force sailed for theSouth Pacific Area. The First Marine Division was the first Marine Corps division that ever left the shores of the United States. On August 7, Vandegrift led the First Marine Division in the first large-scale operation against the Japanese, in theSolomon Islands.[17] He was awarded theNavy Cross "for extraordinary heroism and distinguished devotion to duty as Commanding General of the First Marine Division and all ground troops action with enemy Japanese forces during the attack on the Solomon Islands 7 August 1942." (attack on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Gavutu);[18] He was later awarded the Medal of Honor "for outstanding and heroic accomplishment above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the First Marine Division in operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands during the period 7 August to 9 December 1942." He had commanded the initial landings and the subsequent occupation ... that "resulted in securing a valuable base for further operations of our forces against the enemy."[19] Vandegrift was presented the Medal of Honor on February 5, 1943, from PresidentFranklin Roosevelt during a ceremony in theWhite House.[20]
In July 1943, Vandegrift commanded the1st Marine Amphibious Corps in thelanding at Empress Augusta Bay,Bougainville, in the northern Solomon Islands, on November 1, 1943. Upon establishing the initial beachhead, he relinquished command and returned to Washington, D.C., as commandant-designate.[16]
On January 1, 1944, as a lieutenant general, he was sworn in as the 18thcommandant of the Marine Corps. On April 4, 1945, he was appointed general, with date of rank from March 21, 1945, the first Marine officer on active duty to attainfour-star rank.[21]
During his tenure as commandant, the Marine Corps faced institutional threats fromU.S. Army efforts to absorb the mission of the Marines. TheU.S. Navy was sympathetic to the Marine Corps's predicament but was ready to accept the diminishment of the Corps in exchange for keeping naval aviation from consolidation with theU.S. Air Force. The post-war 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 PresidentHarry Truman and GeneralDwight Eisenhower. In that power struggle, the Marine Corps aligned itself withU.S. Congress in warning against the encroachment on civilian oversight within the Army proposals.[22]
To clinch the support of Congress, Commandant Vandegrift delivered the famous "Bended Knee Speech" on May 6, 1946, to the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs and ended it thus:
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.
— Alexander Vandegrift, "Bended Knee Speech",[23]
For outstanding service as Commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1944, to June 30, 1946, General Vandegrift was awarded theNavy Distinguished Service Medal.[16] He was relieved as Commandant on December 31, 1947, but was not formally retired and placed on the retired list until April 1, 1949.[24]
Together withRobert B. Asprey, General Vandegrift co-authored a book chronicling his experiences in World War II. The book is titledOnce a Marine: The Memoirs of General A. A. Vandegrift Commandant of the U.S. Marines in WW II, and was published in 1964.[25]
General Vandegrift died on May 8, 1973, at theNational Naval Medical Center,Bethesda, Maryland, after a long illness. His interment was on May 10, 1973, at theArlington National Cemetery.[26]
| Insignia | Rank | Dates |
|---|---|---|
No insignia in 1909 | Second lieutenant | January 16, 1909 |
 | First lieutenant | November 10, 1914 |
 | Captain | August 29, 1916 |
 | Major (Temporary for war service) | July 1, 1918 |
| Captain (Peacetime reversion) | July 31, 1919 |
| Major | July 4, 1920 (Backdated to June 4, 1920) |
 | Lieutenant colonel | November 15, 1934 (Backdated to May 29, 1934) |
 | Colonel | September 1, 1936 |
 | Brigadier general | April 11, 1940 |
 | Major general | March 20, 1942 |
 | Lieutenant general | July 28, 1943 |
 | General | April 4, 1945 (Backdated to March 21, 1945) |
Vandegrift received the following decorations and awards:[27]
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Vandegrift's Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:[28]
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
Citation:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Major General Alexander Archer Vandegrift (MCSN: 0-1009), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished devotion to duty as Commander of the FIRST Marine Division and all ground troops in action with enemy Japanese forces during the attack on the Solomon Islands on 7 August 1942. Though subjected to intense enemy opposition, Major General Vandegrift led his command in superbly coordinated operations with the result that all objectives were captured and opposing enemy Japanese forces destroyed. His fine spirit of leadership and his courageous determination throughout the engagement were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.[18]
General Vandegrift held anhonorary degree of Doctor of Military Science fromPennsylvania Military College and honorary degrees ofDoctor of Law fromHarvard,Colgate,Brown,Columbia, andMaryland Universities andJohn Marshall College.[16]
The Oliver Hazard Perry-classfrigateUSS Vandegrift (FFG-48), launched in 1982, was named in his honor.[29] She was sponsored by three of Vandegrift's daughters and his great granddaughter.[30]
The main street that runs throughCamp Pendleton is named Vandegrift Boulevard in his honor.
A former military housing complex, now civilian housing, forWright-Patterson Air Force Base, nearDayton, Ohio, has streets named for World War II commanders including General Vandegrift, General Eisenhower, and Admiral Nimitz.
Vandegrift married Mildred Strode (1886–1952) on June 29, 1909.[31] They had one son, Alexander Archer Vandegrift, Jr. (1911–1969),[31] a Marine Corps colonel who fought in both World War II and in theKorean War.[17] After Mildred's death, he married Kathryn Henson (1903–1978) in 1953.[26]
Vandegrift was portrayed in the 1960 filmThe Gallant Hours byRaymond Bailey;[32] the 2006 filmFlags of Our Fathers byChris Bauer;[33] and briefly in episodes 3 and 8 of the 2010miniseriesThe Pacific by Stephen Leeder. In addition, Vandegrift appears in the 2004 anime seriesZipang.
A fictionalized account of Vandegrift and the U.S. Marines onGuadalcanal is featured inThe Corps book series byW.E.B. Griffin.[34]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Marine Corps.
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| Preceded by | Commanding General of the1st Marine Division 1942–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commandant of the United States Marine Corps 1943–1947 | Succeeded by |
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