DOCSLIB.ORG

The U.S. Marine Raider Battalions, 1942-1944: a Case Study in Elite Military Organizations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The U.S. Marine Raider Battalions, 1942-1944: a Case Study in Elite Military Organizations BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Summer 2015 The Elite of the Elites: the U.S. Marine Raider Battalions, 1942-1944: A Case Study in Elite Military Organizations Stephen Mark Houseknecht As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Houseknecht, Stephen Mark, "The Elite of the Elites: the U.S. Marine Raider Battalions, 1942-1944: A Case Study in Elite Military Organizations" (2015). MSU Graduate Theses. 1173. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1173 This article or document was made available through BearWorks, the institutional repository of Missouri State University. The work contained in it may be protected by copyright and require permission of the copyright holder for reuse or redistribution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ELITE OF THE ELITES – THE U.S. MARINE RAIDER BATTALIONS, 1942-1944: A CASE STUDY IN ELITE MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS A Masters Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts, History By Stephen M. Houseknecht July 2015 Copyright 2015 by Stephen M. Houseknecht ii THE ELITE OF THE ELITES – THE U.S. MARINE RAIDER BATTALIONS, 1942-1944: A CASE STUDY IN ELITE MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS History Missouri State University, July 2015 Master of Arts Stephen M. Houseknecht ABSTRACT In 1942, the U.S. Marine Corps activated the Marine Raider battalions, the first American special forces units of World War II. However, the introduction of an elite subculture within the ranks of the Marine Corps, which already prided itself on being the nation’s elite fighting force, resulted in conflicting cultures and competing identities. Many Marines felt that the creation of an elite within the ranks of the elite was superfluous and undesirable. The preferential treatment and widespread publicity accorded to the Raiders, combined with the Raiders’ sense of exceptionalism and claims to superiority, garnered resentment among other Marines. Ultimately, the leadership of the Corps concluded that the Raider battalions were a detriment to the morale and esprit of the Marine Corps. Such resentment, in conjunction with the changing realities of the Pacific War in 1944, led to the end of the Raider program in early 1944. As an elite organization operating within the culture of a recognized corps d’elite, the Raiders present a unique case study in the nature of elitism in military cultures. This thesis examines the unique circumstances surrounding the creation of the Raiders, their rise to fame, and sudden fall from grace, concluding that the operational necessities of the late war period converged with the on- going cultural unrest within the elitist culture of the Corps to spell the end of the Raiders. KEYWORDS: U.S. Marine Corps, Raider battalions, Evans F. Carlson, Merritt A. Edson, military elites, military cultures, special operations forces, Pacific War, World War II. This abstract is approved as to form and content _______________________________ William Garrett Piston, Ph.D. Chairperson, Advisory Committee Missouri State University iii THE ELITE OF THE ELITES – THE U.S. MARINE RAIDER BATTALIONS, 1942-1944: A CASE STUDY IN ELITE MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS By Stephen M. Houseknecht A Masters Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts, History July 2015 Approved: _______________________________________ William Garrett Piston, Ph.D.: Chairperson _______________________________________ F. Thornton Miller, Ph.D.: Committee Member _______________________________________ Worth Robert Miller, Ph.D.: Committee Member _______________________________________ Julie Masterson, Ph.D.: Dean, Graduate College iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the support of numerous people along the way. Though I am sure to miss some, I want to give honor and gratitude where it is due. My thesis advisor, Dr. William Garrett Piston, offered unflagging support throughout the research and writing process. He willingly entertained the inkling of an idea I first presented to him, and helped it to grow into the present project. His advice during the writing of this thesis was invaluable. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to work with him. Dr. Rich DiNardo of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and his wife Rita graciously hosted me during my research trip to Quantico, Virginia. Without their hospitality, this research might not have been possible. Dr. DiNardo also helped me tremendously with his advice on archival research and suggestions for studying military elites. Many others offered encouragement and guidance along the way. LCDR Russell Evans took the time to give me an impromptu version of his lecture on the APDs and Marine Raiders; I have returned to those notes many times. Dr. Hal Friedman encouraged me to pursue my interest in writing on the Marine Corps and helped me develop a background in the historiography of the Pacific War. Dr. David Ulbrich offered helpful comments on an early version of this project, and pointed me towards the best treatments of Evans F. Carlson. I am indebted to Dr. Laynah Rogers for her constant encouragement and forbearance on the numerous occasions I was preoccupied with graduate school deadlines when I should have been working. I am also grateful to my Missouri State University colleagues Steve Barnett and Jason Rice for many conversations on this and other topics, which always helped me see things from a different perspective. Annette Amerman was supremely helpful on my visit to the Historical Reference Branch, Marine Corps History Division. Martha Robertson and James Ginther of Archives and Special Collections at the Alfred M. Gray Research Center both went “above and beyond” in their efforts to help me locate material. I am also grateful to Shannon Conlon and Deborah Williams at the Meyer Library, Missouri State University, and to Joy Boyer and Deborah Buesking at the Kendrick Library, Evangel University, for their assistance with the many interlibrary-loan items I had to request for this project. I am further indebted to the Graduate College at Missouri State University for its generous award of research funding, which made my trip to the Marine Corps University Archives and the Library of Congress possible. Finally, I am most thankful for my wife, Elisabeth, who has kept me going on the many occasions when it seemed I would never get to this point. Her encouragement has meant more than she knows. Thank you for always believing in me. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: The Raider Marines in History.......................................................................1 Chapter 1: Elites and Military History ...............................................................................14 Defining Military Elites .........................................................................................14 What Is an “Elite”? Vision of Elitism in Social Science .......................................19 Elites and Military Organizations ..........................................................................22 Elite or Special Operations? .................................................................................. 26 Chapter 2: The Raider Experiment ....................................................................................33 Merritt Edson and the 1st Separate Battalion .........................................................33 Evans F. Carlson ....................................................................................................38 Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and William Donovan .......................45 Suspicion of Outside Interference ..........................................................................58 Chapter 3: The Raiders as Military Elites ..........................................................................61 The Marine Corps as a Military Elite ....................................................................61 The Raiders as Guardsmen ....................................................................................65 The Raiders as Technicians ...................................................................................73 The Raiders and Internal Conflicts ........................................................................80 Preferential Treatment ...........................................................................................86 Carlson’s Gung Ho Raiders: A Special Case .........................................................92 The Raiders as Special Operations Elites ............................................................105 Chapter 4: The Raiders as Warriors .................................................................................109 The Pacific Theater in 1942 .................................................................................110 Edson’s Raiders on Guadalcanal .........................................................................114
Load more

Recommended publications
  • General John F. Kelly Commander, US Southern Command
    General John F. Kelly Commander, US Southern Command General Kelly was born and raised in Boston, MA. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1970, and was discharged as a sergeant in 1972, after serving in an infantry company with the 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC. Following graduation from the University of Massachusetts in 1976, he was commissioned and returned to the 2nd Marine Division where he served as a rifle and weapons platoon commander, company executive officer, assistant operations officer, and infantry company commander. Sea duty in Mayport, FL, followed, at which time he served aboard aircraft carriers USS Forrestal and USS Independence. In 1980, then Captain Kelly transferred to the U.S. Army's Infantry Officer Advanced Course in Fort Benning, GA. After graduation, he was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, DC, serving there from 1981 through 1984, as an assignment monitor. Captain Kelly returned to the 2nd Marine Division in 1984, to command a rifle and weapons company. Promoted to the rank of Major in 1987, he served as the battalion's operations officer. In 1987, Major Kelly transferred to the Basic School, Quantico, VA, serving first as the head of the Offensive Tactics Section, Tactics Group, and later assuming the duties of the Director of the Infantry Officer Course. After three years of instructing young officers, he attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School for Advanced Warfare, both located at Quantico. Completing duty under instruction and selected for Lieutenant Colonel, he was assigned as Commanding Officer, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA.
    [Show full text]
  • 1945 November 26-December 2 from Red Raider to Marine Raider
    1 1945 November 26-December 2 From Red Raider to Marine Raider (La Crosse Tribune, 1945 December 2, page 13) (La Crosse Tribune, 1944 March 5, page 7) Julius Wittenberg of La Crosse was a kid from a broken home who made his mark as a high school athlete and went on to become a member of one of the elite fighting units of World War II. Julius C. Wittenberg was born on May 2, 1920, in La Crosse to Frank and Sylvia (Miles) Wittenberg.1 He was named after his grandfather, Julius Wittenberg.2 Frank Wittenberg was a painter and wallpaper hanger.3 Young Julius was just four years old when Sylvia Wittenberg filed for divorce in September 1924 from her husband of 18 years. She alleged that Frank Wittenberg had "repeatedly struck her, used abusive language toward her and failed to properly support her."4 2 Four years later, Frank Wittenberg was living in Waupun, Wisconsin.5 He had taken a job as a guard at the Wisconsin state prison in Waupun. Julius, and his brother, Frank Jr., who was two years older, lived with their father at Waupun, as did a 21-year-old housekeeper named Virginia H. Ebner.6 Sylvia Wittenberg had also moved on. In October 1929, she married Arthur Hoeft in the German Lutheran parsonage in Caledonia, Minnesota.7 Arthur Hoeft of La Crosse was a veteran of World War I.8 In 1924, he had started working for his sister, Helen Mae Hoeft, at the Paramount Photo Shop at 225 Main Street. Helen Hoeft and photographer Millard Reynolds had created the first mail-order photo finishing business in the nation, and she named it Ray's Photo Service.
    [Show full text]
  • December 1950
    7TH MARINE REGIMENT - HISTORICAL DIARY - AUGUST 1950 - DECEMBER 1950 Korean War Korean War Project Record: USMC-2281 CD: 22 United States Marine Corps History Division Quantico, Virginia Records: United States Marine Corps Unit Name: 1st Marine Division Records Group: RG 127 Depository: National Archives and Records Administration Location: College Park, Maryland Editor: Hal Barker Korean War Project P.O. Box 180190 Dallas, TX 75218-0190 http://www.koreanwar.org Korean War Project USMC-08300001 DECLASSIFIED - I 0680/946 Al2 Ser _Q.056-5.t FEB 21 1951 FIRST ENDORSEMENT on CG, lstMarDiv 1 tr to CMC, aer 0021-51 of 8 Feb 1961 From: Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific To: Commandant of the Marine Corps SubJ: Historical Diaries, 7th Marines; period August - November 1950 1. Forwarded. .1.0()()';'8 c/e~~.... J. C. BURGER COLONEL, U. S. MARINE CORPS Copy to: CHIEF OF STAFF ' CG, lstMarDi v • ....... - DECLASSIFIED Korean War Project USMC-08300002 DECLASSIFIED pi;~ ~-. :._- ·-:::::~~--"'""'~--:;;·;-:p;...ii.,-:-_*jil"'·--....-=- .... ----!,.o.l-.,--~-. I'll 41-1/ldJ Ser 058-51 28 "ebru<>ry 19 51 FIRST ::::nc·::!S:'].!El!T on 7thl4ar Historical Diary for December 1950, ltr ser 505 of 17 Feb 1951 From: Comr.~anding Gener:cl, lst Marine Division, FMF To: Commsnde_nt of the Marine Corps Yia: Comm<e.n•3.ing Generr\l, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific Saoj: His toricc.l DiarJ' for Decenber 1950 2. Tl1e secu:·ity classification o:' this e:ldorsement is rell!ovecl ,.r~1ea tetc.ched :"rom the bEtsic le~ter. ~~- H. S. \;'.~SETH De~>ut;r Chief of Staff far Administration :'.,.• '•.
    [Show full text]
  • Flight Jacket Vol
    Flight Jacket Vol. 14 Issue 11 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. June 11, 2012 Beyond honor Marines’ courageous commitment MCI West commanding general visits air station Photo by Sgt. Lauren M. Henson Motivational flight Brig. Gen. Vin- cent A. Coglia- brings out warrior spirit nese, Marine Corps Installa- A flight to show appreciation for Ma- tions West com- rines’ dedication to their work. manding gen- eral, visits with Marines aboard Marine Corps Air Station Mira- mar, Calif., June 7. Coglianese For full story, click 08 toured the air Click HERE for more photos station and visit- ed with Marines. Wing Chaplain provides Maj. Gen. spiritual help on the fly Andrew O’Donnell Jr. Commanding General 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward)’s command chaplain delivered care packages prepared by students at Si- erra Academy of San Diego, For full story, click Click HERE for more photos 10 From the couch to VMM-166 leads in off-duty safety combat Photos by Sgt. Lauren M. Henson The Marines and Afghan personnel scoured known drug trafficking routes for suspicious vehicles. Col. Frank A. Richie Commanding Officer For full story, click MCAS Miramar Click HERE for more photos 16 Follow us on Cpl. Daniel Jenkins, a flight equipment techni- The Flight Jacket is published every other Monday. cian with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron ON THE COVER: This is an authorized publication for the military services, contents of the Flight Jacket are not necessar- 166 and a Houston native, accepts the safety Lt. Col. Michael Vannest, commanding officer of Marine Medium Tiltrotor ily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • 89-90 November No. 2 Mr
    THE ANTARCTICAN SOCIETY 905 NORTH JACKSONVILLE STREET ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22205 HONORARY PRESIDENT — MRS. PAUL A. SIPLE Presidents: _________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Carl R. Eklund, 1959-61 Dr. Paul A. Siple, 1961-62 Vol. 89-90 November No. 2 Mr. Gordon D. Cartwright, 1962-63 RADM David M. Tyree (Ret.), 1963-64 Mr. George R. Toney, 1964-65 Mr. Morton J. Rubin, 1965-66 Dr. Albert P. Crary, 1966-68 ANOTHER IN OUR UNPLANNED ANTARCTICA IS BEAUTIFUL LECTURE SERIES Dr. Henry M. Dater, 1968-70 Mr. George A. Doumani, 1970-71 Dr. William J. L. Sladen, 1971-73 WILD ICE Mr. Peter F. Bermel, 1973-75 Dr. Kenneth J. Bertrand, 197 5-77 Mrs. Paul A. Siple, 1977-78 by Dr. Paul C. Dalrymple, 1978-80 Dr. Meredith F. Burrill, 1980-82 Dr. Mort D. Turner, 1982-84 Ron Naveen Dr. Edward P. Todd, 1984-86 Mr. Robert H. T. Dodson, 1986-88 Naturalist Dr. Robert H. Rutford, 1988-90 The Antarctic Century Honorary Members: Ambassador Paul C. Daniels Cookesville, Maryland Dr. Laurence McKin ley Gould Count Emilio Pucci Sir Charles S. Wright on Mr. Hugh Blackwell Evans Dr. Henry M. Dater Tuesday evening, 5 December 1989 Mr. August Howard Mr. Amory H. "Bud" Waite, Jr. 8 PM Paul C. Daniels Memorial Lecturers: National Science Foundation Dr. William J. L. Sladen, 1964 RADM David M. Tyree (Ret.), 1965 18th and G Streets N.W. Dr. Roger Tory Peterson, 1966 Dr. J. Campbell Craddock, 1967 Mr. James Pranke, 1968 Room 540 Dr. Henry M. Dater, 197 0 Sir Peter M. Scott, 1971 Dr. Frank Davies, 1972 Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Eugene B. Sledge MBM August 2020 FINAL.Pdf (3.688
    HISTORY | LEGENDS Eugene B. Sledge and Mobile: 75 Years After “The War” Mobilian Eugene Sledge is recognized the world over as a USMC combat veteran of World War II, but there is even more to know, and admire, about “Ugin” of Georgia Cottage. text by AARON TREHUB • photos courtesy AUBURN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES xactly 75 years ago this spring, in May and June 1945, Mo- bile native and U.S. Marine Corps PFC Eugene Bondurant Sledge was fighting on Okinawa as a mortarman with Com- pany K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st Ma- Erine Division. Sledge was already a combat veteran by this time, having received his baptism of fire on Peleliu in September and October 1944. He was 21 years old. Years later, Sledge described the fighting on Okinawa in mid-May 1945 and the recurring nightmares that it inspired. “The increasing dread of going back into action obsessed me,” he wrote. “It became the subject of the most tortuous and persistent of all the ghastly war nightmares that have haunted me for many, many years. The dream is always the same, going back up to the lines during the bloody, muddy month of May on Okinawa. It remains blurred and vague, but oc- casionally still comes, even after the nightmares about the shock and violence of Peleliu have faded and been lifted from me like a curse.” Nightmares haunted Sledge for decades after the war: as a com- bat veteran and student attending Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University) on the G.I. Bill in the late 1940s; as a young husband and father pursuing graduate degrees at API and the Uni- versity of Florida in the late 1950s; and as a professor of biology at the University of Montevallo from the 1960s through the 1980s.
    [Show full text]
  • Colby Alumnus Vol. 60, No. 1: Fall 1970
    Colby College Digital Commons @ Colby Colby Alumnus Colby College Archives 1971 Colby Alumnus Vol. 60, No. 1: Fall 1970 Colby College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/alumnus Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Colby College, "Colby Alumnus Vol. 60, No. 1: Fall 1970" (1971). Colby Alumnus. 72. https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/alumnus/72 This Other is brought to you for free and open access by the Colby College Archives at Digital Commons @ Colby. It has been accepted for inclusion in Colby Alumnus by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Colby. COLBY COLLEGE LIBRARY Waterville, Maine 0 The Issue Fall 1970 f/111111·111111111g . I ht· \H·tkc11d l11lo11gC'd to J. li1·el)e ancl \f,11\ Bi,ln, .111d \\ould h,t\L t\tll if tile footli.dl 1l·:1m h.tcl llJ"t'l tilt· mo.,l powtilttl Bowdo111 'lf"·'d i11 lll< lll\ a )l':1r. (l L Ill.II I) did.) I he pH·,ide11t t•111t·1 itm .111cl hi., wife were ho1101ecl 011 Colin l'\1g ht. .111d 1c,po11dul ''ith the w.umth, chatm :t11cl wit whith d1.11';1ttc111ccl the 18 \it.ti Bl\.kr )Car� at Colb)- (Pages 1-3) The /5Jul cl11.11 a11it•1·1 .. I'rt�idc11t .Strider, in his tradi­ tional aclcln·.,� lo f1c.,hmu1 011 tlwi1 f11.,t cl.n 011 c.tmpus. <lb- c m�td ,..-h:1l the tollege "ffu., .111cl \\h.1t <.111 be C\.pectcd of '>tudt•11L-.: i11tl'llcctu:tl ch.tllu1gl. \Oti.tl ad.1ptil1ilit) .•1 rc'>pect fot Colb) ·, hcrit.1gc .
    [Show full text]
  • B Lue D Amond
    The B l u e d a m o n d Vol. III No. 11 The official newsletter of 1st Marine Division June 17, 2011 Division Marines 3/5 Marine receives motorcycle participate in from care package group annual Mud Run Story and photos by Lance Cpl. Tyler Reiriz Marines of 1st Marine Division got dirty at the Armed Services YMCA World Famous Mud Run at Lake O’Neill on Camp Pendleton June 11. Maj. Gen. Michael Regner, com- manding general of 1st MarDiv, and seven teams made up of 1st MarDiv Marines, sailors and their family mem- bers ran the 10 kilometer obstacle course to help raise money for programs and services offered to military person- nel and their families by the ASYMCA. The mud run is more than a normal charity runs. It is filled with a series of muddy obstacles that make it truly stand out. “It’s a 10 kilometer course through lakes, rivers, and mud pits,” said Reg- ner. “A lot like what you would see at Officer Candidate School or at Parris Island through normal recruit training.” More than six thousand Marines, sailors and civilians ran the course ei- ther alone or as members of five-person Corporal Clancy Cheek, an infantryman with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, poses with volunteers from Operation Gratitude at Van Nuys National Guard Armory in Encino, Calif. June 5. The volunteers gathered and assembled approximately 5,000 care packages for service teams. members deployed to the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and to see Cheek get his motorcycle.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Corps Jrotc Cadet Handbook
    MARINE CORPS JROTC CADET HANDBOOK HISTORY / BACKGROUND AUTHORIZATION OF JUNIOR ROTC PURPOSE OF MARINE CORPS JROTC MISSION OF MARINE CORPS JUNIOR ROTC ADMINISTRATION / ORGANIZATION ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS DISENROLLMENT CLASSROOM PROCEDURES ATTENDANCE CONDUCT, BEARING & DISCIPLINE SCHOOL CITIZENSHIP PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION DAILEY CADET CONDUCT CURRICULUM / ACADEMICS SCHOOL ACADEMICS CADET CURRICULUM CADET PARTICIPATION GRADING RANK & PROMOTION Cadet Rank Structure Cadet Promotions APPEARANCE & UNIFORMS UNIFORM DAY CONDUCT IN UNIFORM UNIFORM CARE UNIFORM INFORMATION WEARING OF RIBBONS AND AWARDS ACTIVITIES DRILL MARKSMANSHIP MARKSMANSHIP WEAPONS PROCEDURES PHYSICAL TRAINING PARENTAL CONSENT FORM USEFUL CADET INFORMATION LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES LEADERSHIP TRAITS LEADERSHIP TRAIT DEFINITIONS MARINE’S HYMN GENERAL ORDERS MISSION OF THE MARINE CORPS MARINE CORPS HISTORY DRILL TERMS GLOSSARY OF TERMS CHAIN OF COMMAND HISTORY / BACKGROUND AUTHORIZATION OF JUNIOR ROTC The enactment of Public Law 88-647 and codification in Title 10, U.S.C., Sec. 2031, authorized the military service secretaries to commission Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) units at secondary schools that meet established criteria. Accordingly, the Secretary of the Navy has authorized the CMC to establish Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (MCJROTC) units throughout the United States. PURPOSE OF MCJROTC The purpose of the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, commonly referred to as “Junior ROTC,” is to instill a value of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment. It does not seek any particular commitment to the military. The current legal basis for Junior ROTC is Section 2031 of Title 10, United States Code. That section is implemented by the Department of Defense.
    [Show full text]
  • Spearhead-Fall-Winter-2019.Pdf
    Fall/Winter 2019 SpearheadOFFICIAL PUBLICATION of the 5TH MARINE DIVISION NEWS“Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue” ASSOCIATION OCTOBER 22 - 25, 2020 71ST ANNUAL REUNION DALLAS, TEXAS Sons of Iwo vets take the helm of FMDA Bruce Hammond and statue in Semper Fi Tom Huffhines, both Memorial Park at the native Texans and sons Marine Corps War of Iwo Jima veterans Museum at Quantico, who previously (Triangle) Va., and served as Association had long worked with presidents and reunion the FMDA. hosts, were selected to Continuing his lead the Fifth Marine father’s work with the Division Association Association, President as president and vice Bruce Hammond said, president, respectively, “It is important that we for the next year. channel our passion, Additionally, move forward and lifetime FMDA mem- President Bruce Hammond and Vice President Tom Huffhines focus on our mission ber, Army helicopter for our Marine veterans.” pilot and Vietnam veteran John Powell volunteered to Vice President John Huffhines agreed and said, host the next FMDA reunion from Oct. 22-25, 2020, in “Communication with the membership, as good and Dallas. as often as possible, is extremely key to its existence. Hammond’s father, Ivan (5th JASCO), hosted the Stronger fundraising ideas and efforts should be the 2016 reunion in San Antonio, Texas, when John Butler main thing on each of our agendas.” was president, and in Houston, Texas, in 2009 when he Hammond graduated from the University of Texas, was president himself. Austin, in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Huffhines’ father, John (HS 2/3), hosted the 2006 He worked for 24 years as a well-site drilling-fluids reunion in Irving, Texas, when he was president.
    [Show full text]
  • A Historical Assessment of Amphibious Operations from 1941 to the Present
    CRM D0006297.A2/ Final July 2002 Charting the Pathway to OMFTS: A Historical Assessment of Amphibious Operations From 1941 to the Present Carter A. Malkasian 4825 Mark Center Drive • Alexandria, Virginia 22311-1850 Approved for distribution: July 2002 c.. Expedit'onaryyystems & Support Team Integrated Systems and Operations Division This document represents the best opinion of CNA at the time of issue. It does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Department of the Navy. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. Specific authority: N0014-00-D-0700. For copies of this document call: CNA Document Control and Distribution Section at 703-824-2123. Copyright 0 2002 The CNA Corporation Contents Summary . 1 Introduction . 5 Methodology . 6 The U.S. Marine Corps’ new concept for forcible entry . 9 What is the purpose of amphibious warfare? . 15 Amphibious warfare and the strategic level of war . 15 Amphibious warfare and the operational level of war . 17 Historical changes in amphibious warfare . 19 Amphibious warfare in World War II . 19 The strategic environment . 19 Operational doctrine development and refinement . 21 World War II assault and area denial tactics. 26 Amphibious warfare during the Cold War . 28 Changes to the strategic context . 29 New operational approaches to amphibious warfare . 33 Cold war assault and area denial tactics . 35 Amphibious warfare, 1983–2002 . 42 Changes in the strategic, operational, and tactical context of warfare. 42 Post-cold war amphibious tactics . 44 Conclusion . 46 Key factors in the success of OMFTS. 49 Operational pause . 49 The causes of operational pause . 49 i Overcoming enemy resistance and the supply buildup.
    [Show full text]
  • Office of Archives and History
    NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES OFFICE OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY Military Collection State Archives of North Carolina Joseph E. Freed Interview Summary MilColl OH 296 Interviewee: Joseph E. Freed Interviewer: Iris Howell-de Nijs Interview Date: March 17, 2005; March 22, 2005 Interview Location: Raleigh, N.C. Interview Runtime: 2:35:50 Biographical Sketch Joseph Edward Freed was born in April 29, 1937, in Connellesville, Pennsylvania, to Joseph and Alice Ringler Freed. He grew up in Connellesville as the oldest of three children. While a senior in high school, Freed enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves on March 2, 1955. Upon graduation from high school, Freed completed basic training at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, S.C.; then attended Infantry Training Battalion at Camp Lejeune, N.C. With the completion of his training, Freed was selected to attend Sea School in Boston, Massachusetts, and was assigned to sea duty aboard the USS Salem CA-139. While stationed with the Atlantic Fleet, Freed served on the flag staff of Admiral John S. McCain, Jr. In 1958, Freed returned to Camp Lejeune and joined the 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He served at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, from 1958 to 1960. During this time, he was a security guard for President Dwight D. Eisenhower; a drill instructor at MCRD Parris Island from 1961 to 1963; and served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment at Camp Pendleton, California, in late 1963. In March 1964, Freed was assigned to the 9th Marine Regiment stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and later at the Combined Arms Training Center (CATC) Camp Fuji in Gotemba, Japan.
    [Show full text]