George Johnson McMillin (November 25, 1889 – August 29, 1983) was a
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
who served as the 38th and final
naval governor of Guam
The governor of Guam ( ch, I Maga'låhen / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territor ...
. He served as an officer during four separate conflicts: World War I, the
occupation of the Dominican Republic, the
United States occupation of Veracruz
The United States occupation of Veracruz (April 21 to November 23, 1914) began with the Battle of Veracruz and lasted for seven months. The incident came in the midst of poor diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, and was re ...
, and World War II. He served on the staff of both the Naval Academy and the
Naval War College
The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...
as well. He is most remembered as the commander who surrendered
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
anian forces to a much larger Japanese force during the
First Battle of Guam
The Battle of Guam was an engagement during the Pacific War in World War II, and took place from 8 December to 10 December 1941 on Guam in the Mariana Islands between Japan and the United States. The American garrison was defeated by Japanese ...
, only the second battle of World War II involving the United States. He had previously evacuated all but one civilian American citizen from the island and attempted to rebuild defenses after a strong
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
devastated the island the year before. On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces invaded Guam and McMillin surrendered two days later. He spent the rest of the war at various Japanese
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
camps.
Early life
McMillin was born in Ohio on November 25, 1889, to Chas and Addie McMillin.
[ He lived in ]Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...
, and had two brothers. He was left-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
.[
In 1911, McMillin graduated from 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 ...
.
Career
Naval service
He was appointed 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 ...
in 1907, graduating in 1911.[ He transferred to the as an ]ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
the year of his graduation. From March 1919 to October of the same year, he served aboard the as an assistant engineer officer. Following this assignment, he headed the Electrical School at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates th ...
.[ From August 1924 to September 1926 he served within the Office of the ]Chief of Naval Operations
The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...
. Afterward, he became first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
of the for three years.[
In the May 1930 to May 1933, he served as assistant to the Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy while a ]commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
. In 1933, he was attached to the United States Asiatic Fleet
The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...
. He attended the Naval War College
The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...
in 1936 and served on staff there for two years following his graduation.[ From May 1938 to April 1939, he was ]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 ...
aboard the ,[ and then took command of the .]
Governorship
McMillin served as the naval governor of Guam
The governor of Guam ( ch, I Maga'låhen / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territor ...
from April 20, 1940, to December 10, 1941. On November 3, 1940, the worst typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
since 1918 hit Guam. The storm destroyed a majority of the island's crops, caused extensive damage to many military structures, and destroyed thousands of residential homes. McMillin requested $50,000 in aid from the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
.
He oversaw a major evacuation of all United States non-military citizens on the island during his term as the political situation with Japan grew more tense. In the summer of 1941, the evacuation began and was completed on October 17, 1941, with only one, the pregnant wife of the chief commissary steward, remaining.[
]
Battle of Guam
The Department of the Navy Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to:
* United States Department of the Navy,
* Navy Department (Ministry of Defence), in the United Kingdom, 1964-1997
* Confederate States Department of the Navy, 1861-1865
* Department of the ...
informed McMillin of the December 7 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 ...
on December 8. Upon receiving this news and the beginning of United States involvement in World War II, McMillin ordered the evacuation of various civilian populations, the jailing of all Japanese nationals on the island, and churches, banks, and schools closed. A few hours later, the Japanese attacked Guam.[
At 8:27 p.m. on December 8, the battle began. Japanese planes first began bombing the ]Marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
barracks and then other key targets. The also sank in the initial attack. The was set ablaze and captured by Japanese forces.[ On December 10, over 5000 Japanese troops landed on the island in numerous locations, compared to American troops numbering less than 1000. A group of Marines, sailors, and members of the Insular Force Guard defended the ]Plaza de España Plaza de España (Square of Spain) may refer to:
In Spain
* Plaça d'Espanya, Barcelona in Barcelona
* Plaça d'Espanya (Palma) in Palma, Mallorca
* Plaza de España, Madrid in Madrid
* Plaza de España (Pontevedra) in Pontevedra
* Plaza de Es ...
but met a much larger Japanese force. McMillin soon ordered all documents of military value be destroyed as a Japanese victory became more apparent.
By 5:45 a.m., it became apparent that further resistance by American Marines would do no good, and McMillin ordered the sounding of a car horn
A horn is a sound-making device that can be equipped to motor vehicles, buses, bicycles, trains, trams (otherwise known as streetcars in North America), and other types of vehicles. The sound made usually resembles a "honk" (older vehicles) or ...
three times, which both sides recognized as a sign to cease fire.[ McMillin surrendered the island at 6 a.m. on December 10 when Japanese troops captured him in the ]reception room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained, and an alternative name for a living room. The name is derived from the 16th-century terms withdrawing room and withdrawing chamber, which remained in use through the 17th cent ...
of his living quarters, though some small fighting continued until 7:00 a.m. Twenty-one American military personnel and civilians died during the attack. He was one of the first American prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
held by the Japanese and was held until August 20, 1945, when red army forces freed him.
Prisoner of war
After his capture on Guam, McMillin spent the rest of World War II as a prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
at various Japanese POW camps. He was initially brought to a prison camp on Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.[ On a few occasions there he was allowed to write to his wife, Annabel,][ who later sponsored and christened the cruiser in 1944.] Soon after his internment began, Dōmei Tsushin
was the official news agency of the Empire of Japan.
History and development
Dōmei was the end result of years of efforts by Japanese journalists and business leaders to create a national news agency in Japan that could compete with (and if nec ...
interviewed McMillin in a camp located on Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
. They reported that he supposedly seemed "chipper" and expressed his wish that President Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
know that Guam had been "valiantly" defended. Eventually the Japanese transferred him to the Zentsūji camp, where he was the oldest prisoner at fifty-four.
In June 1949, McMillin retired from the Navy as a rear admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
. He served during four conflicts: World War I, the occupation of the Dominican Republic, the United States occupation of Veracruz
The United States occupation of Veracruz (April 21 to November 23, 1914) began with the Battle of Veracruz and lasted for seven months. The incident came in the midst of poor diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, and was re ...
, and World War II. He was postmaster of Long Beach, Calif., for eight years after his retirement.
Personal life
On October 23, 1912, McMillin married Annabel Parlett 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 ...
, at the home of the bride's parents. They have one daughter, Ann. McMillin and his family lived in places including Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
and Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
.
McMillin's daughter attended Mrs. Porter’s School for Girls in Long Beach, California, the American School in Guam, and the Long Beach Junior College for one semester. In 1942, she won a partial scholarship to Ogontz Junior College in Pennsylvania.
References
External links
George Johnson McMillin at ourcampaigns.com
George Johnson McMillin at findagrave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMillin, George
1889 births
1983 deaths
Governors of Guam
United States Navy rear admirals (lower half)
People from Youngstown, Ohio
American military personnel of the Banana Wars
United States Navy personnel of World War I
United States Navy personnel of World War II
United States Naval Academy alumni
United States Naval Academy faculty
Naval War College alumni
Naval War College faculty
American prisoners of war in World War II
World War II prisoners of war held by Japan