Elmer Henry Salzman (June 12, 1902 – September 24, 1958) was a highly decorated officer in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

with the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. He is most noted for his work as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the aviation combat element for the ...

under Lieutenant General

Francis P. Mulcahy Francis Patrick Mulcahy CBE (March 9, 1894 – December 11, 1973) was a general and commander in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Mulcahy commanded the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the Cactus Air Force, and the Tactical Air For ...

and later as

, Marine Air, West Coast under same commander. Salzman won

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

military's second-highest

decoration Decoration may refer to: * Decorative arts * A house painter and decorator's craft * An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc. * An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing Other ...

awarded for

valor Valor, valour, or valorous may mean: * Courage, a similar meaning * Virtue ethics, roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause" Entertainment * Valor (band), a Christian gospel music group * Valor Kand, a member of the band Christian Death * ' ...

in combat, while in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

with 2nd Marine Brigade.

Early years

Salzman was born on June 12, 1902, in

Louis Corners, Wisconsin Louis Corners is an unincorporated community located in the town of Schleswig, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-mos ...

, and attended elementary school there. He graduated from

Kiel High School Kiel High School is a public secondary school located in the town of Kiel, Wisconsin Kiel is a city in Calumet and Manitowoc counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,738 at the 2010 census. Of this, 3,429 residents liv ...

in 1920, about five miles west of Louis Corners. He then received an appointment to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

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 ...

, in 1922. During his years at the academy, Salzman competed in

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

and finally graduated on June 3, 1926. Many of his classmates were later promoted to the general officer ranks:

Edward W. Snedeker Edward Walter Snedeker (February 19, 1903 – May 5, 1995) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general. He was decorated with the Navy Cross, the United States military's second-highest dec ...

, Thomas A. Wornham, Arthur H. Butler, Roy M. Gulick, Russell N. Jordahl, Nels H. Nelson, Kenneth W. Benner, Hartnoll J. Withers,

James S. Russell James Sargent Russell (March 22, 1903 – April 14, 1996) was an admiral in the United States Navy. Biography Russell was born in Tacoma, Washington, the son of noted architect Ambrose J. Russell and Loella Janet (Sargent) Russell. He attended D ...

, Laurence H. Frost,

C. Wade McClusky Rear Admiral Clarence Wade McClusky, Jr., (June 1, 1902 – June 27, 1976) was a United States Navy aviator during World War II and the early Cold War period. He is credited with having played a major part in the Battle of Midway. In the words o ...

Robert B. Pirie Robert Burns Pirie (18 April 1905 – 9 January 1990) was a vice admiral in the United States Navy. He was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for air when he retired in 1962. Biography A native of Wymore, Nebraska, he was a 1926 graduate of t ...

, Charles L. Carpenter, Tom Hamilton or Henry C. Bruton. Following his commissioning as second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, Salzman was attached to the 2nd Marine Brigade under Brigadier General

Logan Feland Major General Logan Feland (18 August 1869 – 17 July 1936) was a United States Marine Corps general who last served as commanding general of the Department of the Pacific. Feland served during the Spanish–American War (3rd Kentucky Volunte ...

and ordered for his first expeditionary duty to

. Marines were ordered to Nicaragua to support the ''Guardia Nacional'' in the fight with rebel bandits under

Augusto César Sandino Augusto C. Sandino (; May 18, 1895 February 21, 1934), full name Augusto Nicolás Calderón de Sandino y José de María Sandino, was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the United States occupati ...

. Salzman led a patrol in the vicinity of village Zapote in

Nueva Segovia Department Nueva Segovia () is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 3,491 km2 and has a population of 275,291 (2021 estimate). The capital is Ocotal. History of Las Segovias ''Las Segovias'' is a region encompassed by the five departments o ...

on September 28, 1928. They ambushed a superior bandit force under the command of General Carlos Salgado and subsequently defeated them. Salzman received the

for his courage, skill and leadership during that action. He also received Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit with Diploma. Upon his return to the States, Salzman applied for naval aviation training and after completion of his course at

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, he was designated

Naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

in 1929. He was ordered to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

with Observation Squadron and later served with the same unit at Marine Air Station Quantico,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He then attended a postgraduate course in ordnance at the Naval Academy, and, following the graduation in 1937, Salzman served as commanding officer of the Marine detachment aboard the heavy cruiser USS ''Indianapolis'' until 1939.

World War II

Salzman was appointed an instructor at

, in 1939 and taught there for next two years. With the activation of

Naval Air Station Quonset Point A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

, he was ordered there in summer 1941 and assumed command of 13th Provisional Company as garrison unit. Following the Japanese

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

, Salzman was transferred to the staff of

under Major General

and appointed wing intelligence officer. He took part in the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

and was appointed wing chief of staff in June 1943. Salzman was later commended by his work on Guadalcanal and received the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. He reached the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and continued as chief of staff of

during

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, du ...

. He also simultaneously served as chief of staff, New Georgia Air Force and acting chief of staff, Marine Aircraft South Pacific. Salzman distinguished himself again and was decorated with

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

by Admiral

William F. Halsey William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others ...

. At the end of March 1944, Salzman was ordered back to the United States and after brief reunion with his wife and kids, he was appointed chief of staff, Marine Air, West Coast with headquarters in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

in May of that year. Colonel Salzman was later transferred to the staff of

III Marine Amphibious Corps III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and d ...

under Lieutenant General

Roy Geiger General Roy Stanley Geiger (January 25, 1885 – January 23, 1947) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served in World War I and World War II. In World War II, he became the first Marine Corps general to lead a field army. Geig ...

and appointed assistant chief of staff for

military plans A military operation plan (also called a war plan before World War II) is a formal plan for military armed forces, their military organizations and units to conduct operations, as drawn up by commanders within the combat operations process in ach ...

. Within this command, he took part in the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

in April 1945 and received his second

. Salzman also worked on the plans for Army units during the campaign and received third

Retirement

He retired in 1949 as a

to go to work for the Aerospace division of Minneapolis-Honeywell. In 1953 his son Kenneth Salzman graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. Salzman died Sept. 24, 1958. His wife was the former Helen Maxwell Stevenson (originally from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

). General Salzman is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Navy Cross citation

In 1928, Salzman received the

for his actions during the

Second Nicaraguan Campaign The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each ...

. His award citation reads: :''The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Second Lieutenant Elmer Henry Salzman (MCSN: 0-4074), United States Marine Corps, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as commander of a patrol of the Second Brigade, U.S. Marine Corps, operating in the vicinity of Zapote, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua on 28 September 1928. Second Lieutenant Salzman's command surprised a greatly superior bandit force under the command of General Salgado by a well planned attack on its rear which resulted in the rout of the bandits. The arrival of the Force of Second Lieutenant Salzman was particularly fortuitous as the bandits had another small patrol of Marines at a great disadvantage and it appeared that they must inevitably suffer a disastrous defeat. Although the bandits outnumbered the combined patrols more than two-to-one, Second Lieutenant Salzman displayed such courage, skill and leadership in conducting the engagement that the bandits were decisively defeated and the beleaguered patrol rescued from its perilous position.''

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Salzman, Elmer 1902 births 1958 deaths People from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Marine Corps generals United States Naval Aviators United States Naval Academy alumni American military personnel of the Banana Wars United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Kiel, Wisconsin