Edwin Howard Simmons (August 25, 1921 – May 5, 2007) was a United States Marine Corps brigadier general. He was a career officer who served in combat during three wars — including landing at Inchon and fighting at the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. He was renowned as the official Marine Corps historian, being called "the collective memory of the Marine Corps". His 1974 book ''The United States Marines: A History'' is a seminal reference text.

Biography

Edwin Howard Simmons was born on August 25, 1921, in Paulsboro, New Jersey, and graduated from

Paulsboro High School Paulsboro High School is a comprehensive community six-year public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Paulsboro, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of t ...

in 1938. He earned a

bachelor of arts in journalism The Bachelor of Journalism (B.J.) degree is a degree awarded at some universities to students who have studied journalism in a three or four year undergraduate program. In the United States, some schools that do not award the B.J. degree instead c ...

in 1942 at Lehigh University, where he had been elected to Phi Beta Kappa the previous year, and a master's degree in journalism in 1955 at Ohio State University. Prior to accepting his commission as a Marine Corps

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on June 12, 1942, he held an Army Reserve commission. During World War II, he trained at Marine Corps Schools, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Camp Lejeune, N.C., prior to serving overseas with the 5th Field Depot in the South and Central Pacific. He took part in combat during the capture of Guam and later served with the 7th Service Regiment on Okinawa and in China. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in January 1944 and to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in June 1949. Following the war, he served for three and one-half years as Managing Editor of the ''

Marine Corps Gazette ''Marine Corps Gazette'' is a professional journal for U.S. Marines founded in 1916 at Marine Corps Base Quantico for members of the United States Marine Corps. Begun by then Col John A. Lejeune as the vehicle to launch the Marine Corps Associatio ...

'', then completed the Amphibious Warfare School, Junior Course, Quantico, in 1950. At the outbreak of the Korean War, he commanded the

Weapons Company A weapons company, sometimes called a manoeuvre support company, is a company (military), company-sized military unit attached to an infantry battalion to support the rifle companies of the battalion. It usually possesses some combination of machine ...

1st Battalion, 6th Marines The 1st Battalion, 6th Marines (1/6) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. It consists of approximately 1,100 marines and sailors. They fall under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment ...

, Camp Lejeune. The half strength battalion was just back from the Mediterranean when it boarded a troop train west. It was redesignated

3rd Battalion, 1st Marines 3rd Battalion 1st Marines (3/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Horno on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Nicknamed the "Thundering Third", the battalion consists of approximately 1,220 ...

. They were ordered to South Korea in August 1950 and participated in the

Inchon Landing The Battle of Incheon (), also spelled Battle of Inchon, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved s ...

that September. He continued in combat as weapons company commander during the initial phases of the war; and as a battalion operations officer and

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

during the Chinese Spring Offensive. Returning to the United States in July 1951, he served in various assignments with the Training and Replacement Command at Camp Pendleton, California; with the Naval ROTC unit at Ohio State University; and with the G-4 Division at Headquarters Marine Corps. He was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in December 1954. From August 1959 until October 1960, he served as Naval Attaché to the Dominican Republic. Carbine rifles from his office, left behind after the United States interrupted formal diplomatic relations, were used in the assassination of Trujillo according to the

Church Committee The Church Committee (formally the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities) was a US Senate select committee in 1975 that investigated abuses by the Central Intelligence ...

. However, Simmons denied he played any direct role in the assassination. Prior to returning to the Dominican Republic in September 1961 as U.S. Military Liaison Officer, U.S. Embassy, Santo Domingo, he was assigned as senior editor, Publications Group, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico. In January 1962, he joined the Strategic Plans Section, G-3 Division at Headquarters Marine Corps, and in July 1963 was promoted to colonel. From July 1965 until July 1966, he served in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, first as G-3 of III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF), and later, as commanding officer,

9th Marine Regiment The 9th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War II, it served until 1994, when it was deactivated during the post Cold War drawdown. Battalions of the Ninth Marine Regiment, but not the ...

, the "Striking Ninth". Returning from Vietnam, he was a student at the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

for the next year prior to reporting to Headquarters Marine Corps where he served as Deputy Fiscal Director of the Marine Corps from August 1967 until May 1970. He was advanced to the rank of brigadier general on June 1, 1968. Brigadier General Simmons returned to Vietnam for another one-year tour, and served as

Assistant Division Commander A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. Historic ...

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is the ...

(Rein), "The Old Breed", and subsequently as deputy commander, III MAF. He returned to Headquarters Marine Corps on July 20, 1971, where he became special assistant to the chief of staff for strategic studies. On December 1, 1971, he assumed duties as director of

Marine Corps History and Museums The United States Marine Corps History Division is a branch of Headquarters Marine Corps tasked with researching, writing, and maintaining the History of the United States Marine Corps. It also provides reference and research assistance; preserves ...

. He went on the retired list on July 1, 1972, but continued on active duty without interruption of service as director of Marine Corps History and Museums. On July 1, 1978, he reverted to inactive status on the retired list. In late October 1978, he returned as a

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

employee to his previous position as director of Marine Corps History and Museums. Brigadier General Simmons died on May 5, 2007, at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. He is survived by his wife, the former Frances G. Bliss of Denver, Colorado, two sons, Edwin H. Jr., and Clarke V., and two daughters, Bliss and Courtney.

Memberships

He was a fellow, governor, and treasurer of the

Company of Military Historians The Company of Military Historians is a non-profit organization in the United States whose mission is to disseminate "information on the uniforms, equipment, history, and traditions of members of the Armed Forces of the United States worldwide and o ...

and a member of the boards of trustees of the

American Military Institute The Society for Military History is a United States–based international organization of scholars who research, write, and teach military history of all time periods and places. It includes naval history, air power history, and studies of technol ...

, the Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation, and the United States Commission on Military History. He also served as president of the 1st Marine Division Association, president of the

American Society of Military Comptrollers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, and vice-president of the National War College Alumni Association. In 1970, he received a Centennial Distinguished Graduate Medallion from Ohio State University.

Publications

Simmons wrote for numerous military and general publications, including the '' Naval Review'', '' Naval Institute Proceedings'', ''

'', ''Sea Power'', and Army. He was the author of the history, The United States Marines'' (published in London, 1974; and New York, 1976) and contributed extensively to various histories and standard works including the '' Encyclopædia Britannica'' and the ''Dictionary of American History''. His novel, ''Dog Company Six'', received the W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association in 2001,http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/2/all_years Boyd Award Recipients List and the

Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature The Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature is for literature about the United States Navy. The award was created in 1982 by the New York Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States, who administers and chooses the winner which is ...

in 2000.

Honors

In May 2013, construction began for the Senator John W. Warner Center for Advanced

Military Studies Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...

at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. A portion of this facility will house the Brigadier General Edwin H. Simmons Center for Marine Corps History. The Simmons Center will consolidate resources from the Marine Corps History Division and the Archives and Special Collections Branch, currently held in three locations, into one facility.

Military awards

Simmons's military decorations and awards include:

Selected works by Edwin H. Simmons

* * A novel about the Korean War. * * * History of Marines at the Battle of Soissons during World War I. *

Notes

References

: * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Edwin H. 1921 births 2007 deaths Lehigh University alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War American military historians Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) United States Marine Corps generals 5 Simmons, Edwin H. United States naval attachés American male non-fiction writers Ohio State University School of Communication alumni Paulsboro High School alumni People from Paulsboro, New Jersey 20th-century American male writers Historians from New Jersey Military personnel from New Jersey