Camp, Richard D. Leatherneck Warrior

General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr.

Lemuel Shepherd, the hero of Belleau Wood, was the living embodiment of a Marine Corps legend, for Belleau Wood was synonymous with the bravery and self-sacrifice of the Marines. At the age of only 22, after graduating early from the Virginia Military Institute following the United States' entry into the First World War, Lemuel Shepherd was appointed platoon commander in the 5th Marine Regiment. His first challenge was to review and organise the many recruits needed to bring the company up to war strength. Only a few weeks after reporting for duty, he was already on a ship bound for Europe. He took part in the Aisne-Marne offensive, faced machine guns in the famous Battle of Belleau Wood, and received the DSC and Navy Cross for his bravery. He was wounded twice there. In August, he returned to the front, took part in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives, and was wounded for the third time. His career in the Marine Corps continued after the war, including as adjutant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, serving in China and Haiti, and working at the Marine Corps Schools in Quantico. After the United States entered World War II, Shepherd took command of the 9th Marine Regiment, trained it, and led it overseas. Promoted to brigadier commander in July 1943, he served on Guadalcanal and then as deputy division commander in Operation Cape Gloucester. In May 1944, he took command of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and led it in the invasion and recapture of Guam. Finally, he commanded the 6th Marine Division during the Battle of Okinawa, for which he was awarded a Gold Star. During the Korean War, he commanded all Marines in the Pacific and was appointed the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1952, where he introduced a series of important measures that increased the Corps' military capabilities. This new biography draws on Shepherd's oral history, a wealth of archival materials from the Marine Corps History Division and the Virginia Military Institute, and a personal interview the author conducted with General Shepherd in the 1980s to provide a more complete picture of the accomplished Leatherneck.