Robert H. Barrow

General Robert H. Barrow

Robert Hilliard Barrow (* 5. February 1922 in Baton Rouge , Louisiana ; † the thirtieth October 2008 in St. Francisville , Louisiana) was a general of the US Marine Corps , the deputy 1978-1979 commander of US Marines ( Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps ) and was most recently Commander of the US Marine Corps ( Commandant of the Marine Corps ) from 1979 to 1983 .

Life

World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War

Barrow came from an impoverished family of plantation owners and was the third of four children of Robert Ellason Barrow and his wife Maud Haralson Barrow. He began studying at Louisiana State University with financial support through a scholarship . In addition, he worked as a caretaker and waiter in order to earn the money for board and lodging. After the USA entered the Second World War on December 8, 1941 with the declaration of war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor the day before, he joined the US Marine Corps in 1942 and completed his basic training in San Diego . He then worked there himself as a drill instructor and was then accepted into the Officer Candidate School , which he graduated as a lieutenant on May 19, 1943 .

In the Korean War Barrow served as captain chief of A Company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Marine Division ( 1st Marine Division ) and took this from 15 September to 28 September 1950 at the Battle of Inchon in Incheon in part, the ended in a UN victory and the retaking of Seoul . Because of his achievements on this mission, he received the Silver Star . For his services in defending a passport at Koto-ri in December 1950, he was awarded the Navy Cross on January 24, 1952 , the highest honor awarded by the Department of the Navy .

During the Vietnam War he was a colonel from September 1, 1964 to July 3, 1967, first planning officer and lastly deputy assistant chief of staff and G-3 at the headquarters of the Fleet Marine Force , the joint command of the US Navy and the US Marines. As such, he was largely responsible for developing the planning for the first deployment and subsequent development of the US Marine Corps in the Republic of Vietnam . For these achievements he was honored for the first time with the Legion of Merit . He was then commander of the 9th Regiment of the 3rd Marine Division ( 3rd Marine Division ) and took part with them from January 22 to March 18, 1969 in Operation Dewey Canyon , which took place in the A-Sầu Valley and was the last major offensive of the US Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and ended in a US tactical victory. For his services in this operation, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and a Gold Star in place of another Legion of Merit.

Promotion to Assistant Commandant and Commandant of the US Marine Corps

General Robert H. Barrow

In September 1969, Barrow became Brigadier General Commanding General of Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa Prefecture and was also deputy commander of the Marian Infantry Bases in the Pacific until August 1972 . After his promotion to major general , in August 1972, he became the commanding general of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , a 34.4 square kilometer military facility in Beaufort , South Carolina , where all male recruits who lived east of the Mississippi when they were recruited , and all female US Marine Corps recruits complete their basic training. During this time, he advocated improving the quality of recruits and modernizing training. He increased supervision over officers and ended physical abuse of trainees while maintaining high standards. In 1976 he became the commander of the Fleet Marine Force and on July 1, 1978 successor to General Samuel Jaskilka as assistant commandant of the US Marines ( Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps ) . He held this position for a year until June 30, 1979, when he was replaced by General Kenneth McLennan .

On 1 July 1979. Barrow finally broke General Louis H. Wilson, Jr. as commander of the US Marine Corps ( Commandant of the Marine Corps ) , and remained in that capacity until his retirement on June 30, 1983, after which General Paul X. Kelley succeeded him on July 1, 1983. At the same time he was ex officio the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( Joint Chiefs of Staff ) to. During his four-year tenure, he improved the standards for members of the marine infantry on the one hand, which on the other hand led to the dismissal of 5,000 unusable members of the Navy. At the same time, the proportion of marines rose from less than 50 percent in 1975 to 82 percent in 1982. For his services as commander of the US Marines, he was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal awarded.

After retiring from military service, he was a member of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board of US President Ronald Reagan . He was also awarded honorary doctorates from Louisiana State University, Tulane University and The Citadel military college . He was also a member of the supervisory boards of the National Defense University (NDU), the Naval War College (NWC) and George Mason University .

His marriage to Patricia Ann Collins Barrow, who died in 2006, resulted in three daughters and two sons. After his death he was buried in the Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery in St. Francisville.

Awards

Selection of awards, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of Military Awards :

•   Distinguished Service Cross
•   Navy Cross
•   Defense Distinguished Service Medal
•   Army Distinguished Service Medal
•   Navy Distinguished Service Medal
•   Silver Star
•   Legion of Merit (3 ×)
• Bronze Star (2 ×)
• Joint Service Commendation Medal

Web link

• Entry in the Hall of Valor

• Robert H. Barrow in the database of Find a Grave (English)