World War II Honoree

Graves Blanchard Erskine

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Columbia, Louisiana

Honored By

Joe Feaster

INITIAL DUTY IN QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, WHERE HE SERVED WHEN JAPAN ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR ON DECEMBER 7, 1941. THE YOUNGEST BRIGADIER GENERAL IN THE CORPS, HE WAS MADE CHIEF OF STAFF, AMPHIBIOUS FORCE, ATLANTIC FLEET, BUT HE WAS SOON SENT TO PEARL HARBOR, WHERE HE WAS CHIEF OF STAFF AND DEPUTY COMMANDER OF THE AMPHIBIOUS CORPS, PACIFIC. IT WAS ORGANIZED IN SEPTEMBER, 1943 AND HE PARTICIPATED IN PLANNING THE SEIZURE OF THE GILBERT ISLANDS (TARAWA) AND ACCOMPANIED THE ASSAULT FORCES WHICH TOOK KWAJALEIN, SAIPAN AND TINIAN IN 1944. IT WAS IN THIS POST THAT HE PIONEERED MANY OF THE DOCTRINES FOR AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE WHICH OVERWHELMED THE ENEMY IN THE PACIFIC. FOR THIS WORK, HE WAS AWARDED THE LEGION OF MERIT BY FLEET ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ. IN OCTOBER, 1944, HE ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE 3RD MARINE DIVISION AND COMMANDED IT DURING THE HARD-FOUGHT CAMPAIGN ON IWO JIMA IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH, 1945. UNITS OF THIS DIVISION WERE THEN AWARDED THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR HEROISM AND HE WAS AWARDED THE NAVY DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL. HE BECAME THE 'HONORARY PLANE COMMANDER' ON THE FIRST AMERICAN B-29 MISSION OVER JAPAN. AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL, SILVER STAR AND LEGION OF MERIT WITH GOLD STAR AND COMBAT 'V'.