Blythe Bartlett - LeJeune: A Marines Life, 1867-1942

LEJEUNE

A MARINES LIFE, 18671942

BY MERRILL L. BARTLETT

NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS

Annapolis, Maryland

BLUEJACKET BOOKS

This book has been brought to publication by the generous assistance of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.

1991 University of South Carolina

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

Originally published by the University of South Carolina Press First Bluejacket Books printing, 1996

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bartlett, Merrill L.

Lejeune : a marines life, 18671942 / by Merrill L. Bartlett.

p. cm.(Bluejacket books)

Originally published: Columbia, S.C. : University of South Carolina Press, 1991.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-6125-1248-8

1. Lejeune, John Archer, 18671942. 2. United States. Marine CorpsBiography. 3. GeneralsUnited StatesBiography. 4. World War, 19141918CampaignsFrance.

I. Title. II. Series.

VE25.L45B37 1996

355.9'6'092dc20

To Blythe

PHOTOGRAPHS

MAPS

This reprinted edition of the most recent biography of John A. Lejeune is a welcome addition to the libraries of Marines and students of the American naval heritage. The professional impact on our Corps by the Thirteenth Commandant merits study and reflection by todays generation of leathernecks. During General Lejeunes more than three decades of faithful service, the Marine Corps evolved from traditional duties characteristic of the Age of Sail, provided the expeditionary force for the heady neocolonialist missions following the Spanish-American War, served with distinction on detached service with the army in World War I, and finally embraced the mission of amphibious assault toward the end of the 1920s. As General Lejeune progressed in rank and responsibilities, his intellect, leadership, and thoughtful perspective were felt at every turn as his beloved Marine Corps found its niche in the American Century.

General Lejeunes uncompromising professionalism and dedication to the ideals of the smaller of the naval services in its support of the fleet are documented and articulated superbly in the following pages; numerous examples are offered that illustrate how, even as a junior officer, he stood apart from his peers by thought, precept, and example. Throughout his professional life, General Lejeune led by unswerving example. He never forgot the admonition of his father as he prepared to depart for Annapolis in 1884; the heavily bearded planter, who had ridden as a cavalry officer for the Confederacy, reminded his son of the professional and ethical responsibilities incumbent upon a citizen who swears allegiance to the United States and promises to support its constitution.

General Lejeunes personal and professional philosophy of leadership is expressed imposingly in his first White Letter as commandant. By 19 September 1922 and the promulgation of White Letter No. 1, General Lejeunes Marine Corps had felt the effects of postwar retrenchment. The wartime strength of more than seventy thousand had plummeted to less than twenty thousand; nonetheless, a traditional commitment in support of the fleet remained while Marines in starched khaki and campaign hats continued to serve in a variety of outposts overseas. General Lejeunes assistant commandant, Major General Wendell C. Neville, summed up the discouraging situation: Marines were in service either overseas or with the fleet, returning from these duties, or en route to take them up again. In his first White Letter, General Lejeune reminded his fellow Marines of their responsibilities despite the postwar retrenchment.

General Lejeunes poignant correspondence began with the exclamation that he wanted every Marine to consider the titular leader of the Corps as his friend. At the same time, however, he enjoined everyone wearing forest green to remember their duty to the government of the United States, the high standard of conduct expected of Marines, and the rigid compliance with orders that had cahracterized the service of the Marine Corps to the Republic for more than a century. The strident rhetoric of the thirteenth CMC rings as true today as it did then: You are the permanent part of the Marine Corps; and the efficiency, the good name, and the esprit of the Corps are in your hands. You can make or mar it.

For more than three decades in the naval services, General Lejeune had led by example. To his officers, he reminded them that the young men serving as enlisted men take their cue from you. General Lejeune asked that their personal conduct be above reproach and, with it, the reputation of the Marine Corps. In his view, a high plane of integrity and professionalism must prevail: Be kindly and just in your dealings with your men. Never play favorites. Make them feel that justice tempered with mercy may always be counted on. This does not mean a slackening of discipline; obedience to orders and regulations must always be insisted on, and good conduct on the part of the men exacted.

General Lejeune reminded all Marines that the destiny of their beloved Corps depended on each and every one of them. He stressed harmonious teamwork together with an intelligent and energetic performance of duty. General Lejeune asked every Marine, especially the officers, to cultivate in their characters the qualities of loyalty, unselfishness, devotion to duty, and the highest sense of honor. He admonished every Marine to resolve to show in himself a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism, and subordination, and to do all in his power, not only to maintain, but to increase the prestige, the efficiency, and the esprit of the grand old Corps to which we belong.

As todays Marine Corps prepares to enter the twenty-first century and confront the initiatives and imperatives of a changing world order, this study of the life and times of General John A. Lejeune deserves thoughtful reading and reflection.

Charles C. Krulak

General, U.S. Marine Corps

31st Commandant of the Marine Corps

To all Marines interested in the history of our Corps, and all others dedicated to researching and writing that history, a study of the nine-year commandancy of our 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Major General John A. Lejeune, will provide many insights into the changing character of our country and the changing mission of the Marine Corps. When World War I began, the United States was not quite yet a world power, even though it had interests in China, the Philippines, and Latin America. With its participation in and influence on the course of the war in Europe, America truly became an international force.

Participation in the fighting in France had a great impact on the Marine Corps, also. First, the Corps expanded fivefold to 79,524 Marines, including 269 women reservists dubbed Marinettes. For the first time in their history, Marines in France fought and served together in the largest Marine combat formation to date, the 4th Marine Brigade. Another Marine Corps first occurred when Major General John A. Lejeune, the brigade commander, became Commanding General of the 2d Infantry Division, the first time in history that a Marine general officer commanded so large a unit.

When he assumed the commandancy in 1920, General Lejeune headed a Corps numbering approximately 17,400 men, a considerable reduction from what it had been in World War I. He envisioned a Marine Corps whose success depended on two factors: first, an efficient performance of all the duties to which its officers and men may be assigned; second, promptly bringing this efficiency to the attention of the proper officials of the government and the American people. General Lejeune saw that his Marine Corps faced at least three major internal problems. First, there was the issue of educating officers for broader and more complex and technical duties than those to which they had been assigned theretofore. At the same time, the Corps had to attract to its ranks a smarter, younger, and more easily motivated type of recruit who would be able to fit into a changing Marine Corps. Finally, General Lejeune had to seek for the Marine Corps an appropriate role in the defense of the country and a mission which it alone could fill.