Andrew Boggs Drum (4 December 1883 – 22 January 1955) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He was born in Winchester, Virginia, and moved to Washington, D.C., when he was nine. His father, Andrew B. Drum, Sr., was superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery from 1892 to 1906. He graduated from

Western High School Western High School may refer: Schools in the United States *Western High School (Anaheim, California) – Anaheim, California * Western High School (Illinois) – Barry, Illinois * Western High School (Florida) – Davie, Florida * Western High S ...

in Washington D.C. in 1903 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1905. Prior to joining the Marines, he had served in the National Guard of the District of Columbia. In 1906, he served for a short time with then Major

John A. Lejeune John Archer Lejeune (; January 10, 1867 – November 20, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Lejeune served for nearly 40 years in the military, and commanded the U.S. Army's 2n ...

aboard the protected cruiser . On 17 May 1910, First Lieutenant Drum began a tour of duty at the Marine barracks in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. From 1914 to 1915, Drum was First Lieutenant of Marines aboard the . While in charge of ''South Carolinas Marines, he participated in raising the

United States flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...

during the occupation of Veracruz. Sixty-eight years earlier, his grandfather, Captain Simon Drum ( West Point Class of 1829), had been present at the flag raising in that city during the Siege of Veracruz. In 1916, Captain Drum was the founding officer of the new 1st Armored Car Squadron,

1st Marine Regiment The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st ...

at Philadelphia. The squadron never saw combat, and was disbanded in 1921. He was promoted to captain on 22 May 1917 and commanded the 15th Company when it was assigned to the

5th Marine Regiment The 5th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "5th Marines") is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the most highly decorated regiment in the Marine Corps and falls u ...

. His regiment became part of the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

when the United States deployed forces to fight in World War I. By February 1918, he was director of the American

Anti-Aircraft Artillery Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

school in Langres, France, where he developed unique methods of training anti-aircraft gunners and provided air defense of the area near the school. He was promoted to major on 4 June 1920. In 1930, Lieutenant Colonel Drum took command of a battalion of

10th Marines The 10th Marine Regiment is an artillery regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force. Subordina ...

. In December 1931, Battery B (the first unit to be equipped with the

75mm pack howitzer The 75mm Pack Howitzer M1 (redesignated the M116 in 1962) was a pack howitzer artillery piece used by the United States. Designed to be moved across difficult terrain, gun and carriage could be broken down into several pieces to be carried by p ...

was attached to 1st Battalion,

1st Marines The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st ...

, with LtCol Drum as battalion commander. The next month, the battalion deployed aboard the battleships and for a 10-week training cruise, participated in military reviews,

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

in New Orleans and Galveston, transited the Panama Canal and traveled up the

west coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

to Bremerton, Washington. In 1932 Drum was relieved and returned to his regular command at Marine Corps Base Quantico. In July 1933, after his unit, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, was merged with Service Battery to become Headquarters and Service Battery, he was relieved by Major Fred S. N. Erskine.A Brief History of the 10th Marines
From September 1934 to September 1935, LtCol Drum was commander of 6th Marines. He served in World War II, eventually reaching the rank of colonel, and died on 22 January 1955. He is buried alongside his wife in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drum, Andrew B. 1883 births 1955 deaths United States Marine Corps colonels Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Military personnel from Virginia 20th-century United States Army personnel District of Columbia National Guard personnel