World War II Honoree

John Calvin Munn

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Prescott, Arkansas

Honored By

John H. Hesterly and Isaac Shapiro

Relationship

Friends

LIEUTENANT GENERAL, WAS A COMMANDER IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF WWII AND A PIONEER AMONG U.S. MARINE AVIATORS WHO PERFECTED THE USE OF AIRCRAFT CARRIERS FOR COMBAT OPERATIONS. HE WAS ORDERED TO SAN DIEGO WITH MARINE AIR SQUADRON 151 IN DECEMBER 1941, WHEN THE U.S. ENTERED WWII. IN AUGUST 1942, UPON HIS PROMOTION TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL, HE DEPARTED FOR THE PACIFIC THEATER, AND ON SEPTEMBER 3, 1942, HE ARRIVED ON GUADALCANAL IN THE FIRST TRANSPORT PLANE TO LAND THERE. IN MARCH 1943, HE ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP IN THE NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS. LATER THAT YEAR, HE RETURNED TO WASHINGTON AND SERVED ON THE STAFF OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE U.S. FLEET. HE WAS PROMOTED TO COLONEL IN NOVEMBER 1943. IN MARCH 1945, HE RETURNED TO THE PACIFIC THEATER TO TAKE COMMAND OF MARINE AIR GROUP 31, WHICH DESTROYED 180 JAPANESE PLANES IN THE OKINAWA CAMPAIGN. AFTER THE WAR'S END, HE MOVED HIS GROUP TO JAPAN AS A PART OF THE OCCUPATION FORCES AND SECURED THE LARGE JAPANESE YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE. DURING HIS THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS OF SERVICE AS A MARINE OFFICER, HE WAS AWARDED A NUMBER OF MEDALS, INCLUDING THE SILVER STAR MEDAL, THE NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL AND TWO LEGIONS OF MERIT MEDALS AND SERVED AS THE ASSISTANT COMMANDANT OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.