Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. | |
|---|---|
 General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. | |
| Nickname(s) | "Lem" |
| Born | (1896-02-10)February 10, 1896 Norfolk, Virginia, United States |
| Died | August 6, 1990(1990-08-06) (aged 94) San Diego,California, United States |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1917–1959 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands | Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Marine Corps Schools 6th Marine Division 1st Provisional Marine Brigade 9th Marine Regiment 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Navy Cross Distinguished Service Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal (3) Silver Star (3) Legion of Merit (2) w/Combat "V" Bronze Star Medal w/ Combat "V" Purple Heart (4) |
| Other work | Inter American Defense Board, Chair[1] |
Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr. (February 10, 1896 – August 6, 1990) was aGeneral in theUnited States Marine Corps, 20thCommandant of the Marine Corps,Navy Cross recipient, veteran ofWorld War I,World War II, and theKorean War.
As Commandant, he secured a place on theJoint Chiefs of Staff, gaining parity for the Marine Corps with the other military services.[2]
Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr. was born February 10, 1896, inNorfolk, Virginia. He graduated from theVirginia Military Institute in 1917,[1] graduating a year early so he could enter the Marine Corps.[3] While at VMI, Shepherd became a member of the Beta Commission ofKappa Alpha Order. He was commissioned asecond lieutenant in the Marine Corps on April 11, 1917, five days after theAmerican entry into World War I, and reported for active duty at the Marine Barracks,Port Royal, South Carolina, on May 19, 1917.
Less than a month after reporting for duty, Shepherd sailed for France on June 17, 1917, as a member of the5th Marine Regiment with the first elements of theAmerican Expeditionary Forces (Army and Marine Corps troops), and arrived atSaint-Nazaire in western France on June 27. The 5th Marines became part of the4th Marine Brigade,[4] 2nd Division (2nd Infantry Division), when the division was organized on October 26 in France.[5] The 2nd Division was placed under the command of Marine CorpsBrigadier GeneralCharles A. Doyen, who had been the 5th Marines commander. The 2nd Division trained with French Army veterans the winter of 1917–18.
Shepherd served in defensive sectors in the vicinity ofVerdun. When the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was committed to combat in the spring of 1918 to halt a German advance towardsParis,[5] he participated in theAisne-Marne offensive (Château-Thierry) where he was twice wounded in action atBelleau Wood during thefighting there in June 1918. On July 28, 1918, Marine Corps Major GeneralJohn A. Lejeune (Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, named 1942) assumed command of the 2nd Division. He returned to the front in August, rejoining the 5th Marines, and saw action in theSt. Mihiel andMeuse-Argonne offensives (Champagne) where he was wounded for the third time, shot through the neck by a machine gun.
For his gallantry in action atBelleau Wood, Lieutenant Shepherd was awarded theArmyDistinguished Service Cross and theNavy Cross, the FrenchCroix de guerre, and was cited twice in the general orders of the2nd Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Forces.[6][7][8] He also received the Montenegrin Silver Medal for Bravery.[9]
After duty with theArmy of Occupation in Germany,Captain Shepherd sailed for home in July 1919. In September 1919, he returned to France. His assignment was to prepare relief maps showing the battlefields over which the 4th Marine Brigade (5th and6th Marines and6th Machine Gun Battalion),[4] 2nd Infantry Division, had fought.
Shepherd returned to the States in December 1920, and was assigned asWhite House aide and aide-de-camp to the commandant of the Marine Corps, Major GeneralJohn A. Lejeune.
In July 1922, he took command of a selected company of Marines at theBrazil's Centennial Exposition inRio de Janeiro.[10]
In June 1923, Shepherd was ordered to sea duty as commanding officer of theMarine Detachment on theUSS Idaho (BB-42). This tour was followed by duty at the Marine Barracks, Norfolk, where he commanded the Sea School. In April 1927, Shepherd sailed for expeditionary duty in China, where he served in the3rd Marine Brigade inTientsin andShanghai.
Shepherd returned to the United States in 1929 and attended the Field Officers' Course, Marine Corps Schools. After graduation Captain Shepherd was assigned overseas again, this time on detached duty with theGarde d'Haïti, serving for four years as a district and department commander in theUnited States occupation of Haiti. Following the withdrawal of Marines from Haiti in 1934, Shepherd was detailed to the Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., as executive officer and as registrar of the Marine Corps Institute.[11]
Following graduation in May 1937 from theNaval War College atNewport, Rhode Island, Shepherd commanded the2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, part of the newly formedFleet Marine Force (FMF), Atlantic, which was being extensively employed in the development of amphibious tactics and techniques.
In June 1939, Shepherd was ordered to the Staff ofMarine Corps Schools,Quantico, Virginia, where he served during the next three years as director, Correspondence School; chief of the Tactical Section; officer in charge of the Candidates Class; and assistant commandant.
In March 1942, four months after the United States entry into World War II,Colonel Shepherd took command of the9th Marine Regiment. He organized, trained, and took the unit overseas as part of the3rd Marine Division.
Upon promotion tobrigadier general in July 1943, Shepherd served onGuadalcanal. Shepherd was assigned as assistant division commander of the1st Marine Division. In this capacity, he participated in theCape Gloucester operation onNew Britain from December 1943 through March 1944, where he was awarded aLegion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious service[7] in command of operations in the Borgen Bay area.
In May 1944, Shepherd assumed command of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and led them in the invasion and subsequent recapture ofGuam during July and August 1944. For distinguished leadership in this operation, Shepherd received his firstDistinguished Service Medal[7] and was promoted tomajor general.
After organizing the6th Marine Division from the brigade, Shepherd commanded it throughout theBattle of Okinawa where, for exceptionally meritorious service as commanding general of the 6th Marine Division in the assault and occupation of Okinawa (April 1 to June 21, 1945) he was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal.[7] Subsequently, he took the division toTsingtao, China. There, October 25, 1945, he received the surrender of the Japanese forces in this area for which he was awarded a secondLegion of Merit.[7]
Several months later, Shepherd returned to the United States and in March 1946, organized the Troop Training Command, Amphibious Forces,Atlantic Fleet, atNAB Little Creek,Virginia.
On October 17, 1946, Shepherd assumed the post of Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.[12] He remained at this post until April 1948, when he was assigned toQuantico where he served as commandant of the Marine Corps Schools until June 1950.
When theKorean War erupted, Shepherd was in command of the Fleet Marine Force (FMF), Pacific, with headquarters atPearl Harbor. In this capacity, he played a major role in theamphibious assault at Inchon, earning aSilver Star,[7] and in the evacuation of U.S. forces fromHungnam following their withdrawal from theChosin Reservoir inNorth Korea in December 1950. In Korea he saw the usefulness and advantages of Helicopters on the frontlines and was amongst those pushing for the increase in number of helicopters in the armed forces saying "No effort should be spared to get helicopters ... to the theater at once – and on a priority higher than any other weapon."[13]
On January 1, 1952, PresidentHarry S. Truman appointed ShepherdCommandant of the Marine Corps. During Shepherd's four years as commandant, he initiated a number of important policies that resulted in increased military proficiency for the Marine Corps, one of the first and widest reaching of which was the institution of aGeneral Staff System. Shepherd presented theMarine Corps War Memorial to the American people at the dedication of the memorial on November 10, 1954, the 179th anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps.[14][15] He was the first commandant to become a member of theJoint Chiefs of Staff, and upon his retirement on January 1, 1956, he was awarded a third Distinguished Service Medal.[7]
Two months after his retirement, Shepherd was recalled to active duty and appointed chairman of theInter-American Defense Board. During his three and a half years of service with this international organization, Shepherd, through his leadership and diplomacy, made substantial contributions towards plans for the defense of the continent. He also promoted military solidarity among the military forces of the republics of theWestern Hemisphere. He relinquished his duties with the Inter-American Defense Board on September 15, 1959.
Shepherd died at age 94 frombone cancer at his home inLa Jolla, California.[3] He was buried with his wife, Virginia Driver (1898–1989) atArlington National Cemetery.[16]
Shepherd's military awards include:
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Other awards and recognitions:
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Marine Corps.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)In August 1922, a detachment of U. S. Marines was assigned to duty at the Brazilian Centennial Exposition, held at Rio de Janeiro, as an evidence of the cordial relations existing between the Brazilian and American Governments.
...the official title "Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps" was adopted in 1946....The first Marine designated as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Major General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. held the billet from October 17, 1946 to April 14, 1948.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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| Preceded by | Commandant of the Marine Corps 1952–1955 | Succeeded by |
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