Keith Barr McCutcheon (August 10, 1915 – July 13, 1971) was a highly decorated

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

four-star general A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the Ranks and insignia of NATO, NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general ...

and

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seeing combat in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and ten

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

Early years

Keith McCutcheon was born on August 10, 1915, in

East Liverpool, Ohio East Liverpool is a city in southeastern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,958 at the 2020 census. It lies along the Ohio River within the Upper Ohio Valley and borders Pennsylvania to the east and West Virginia to the ...

. He graduated from

East Liverpool High School East Liverpool Junior/Senior High School is a public high school in East Liverpool, Ohio, United States. It is the only secondary school in the East Liverpool City School District, serving the city and surrounding Glenmoor, La Croft and Liverp ...

and received his B.S. degree from

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

in 1937. An honor graduate of the schools'

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unit, he resigned a

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commission to accept appointment as a Marine Corps second lieutenant on July 1, 1937.

Marine Corps career

McCutcheon's first assignment upon completion of

Basic School The Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed (for warrant officers) United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an "Officer of Marines". The Basic School is located at Camp Barrett, Quantico, Vir ...

was with the Marine detachment aboard the . In 1940, he completed flight training, was designated a

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 ...

, and subsequently served with a Marine Observation Squadron aboard the aircraft carriers , , and USS ''Yorktown''. He later completed aeronautical engineering courses at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, earning his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in 1944.

World War II

In September 1944, as a lieutenant colonel, he departed for the

Pacific area Coast Guard Pacific Area & Defense Forces West (PACAREA) is an Area Command of the United States Coast Guard, a regional command element and force provider tasked with maritime safety, security, and stewardship throughout the Pacific. The comma ...

. He served as Operations Officer of

Marine Aircraft Group 24 Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. MAG-24 is subordinate to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF). Mission Pro ...

at Bougainville, and at

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

and

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

in the

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. Additionally, he saw duty as Operations Officer of Marine Aircraft Groups, Dagupan on Luzon and, later, Zamboanga, on Mindanao. During the period from November 1, 1944, to May 26, 1945, he earned the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, the

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 ...

with Combat "V", the Distinguished Flying Cross, and six

s in the Solomons,

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, and Philippine Islands area. In November 1945, he returned to the United States to serve as an instructor in the Aviation Section, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico. From October 1946 until December 1949, he was assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He served in the

Guided Missiles In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...

(then Pilotless Aircraft) Division of the Design and Engineering Group, and was branch chief at various times of the Liaison, Experimental Projects, and Target Drone branches. He also performed additional duty in 1947 as Senior Marine Corps Aide to the

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1950s

Marine Helicopter Squadron One

Lieutenant Colonel McCutcheon was transferred to Norfolk in January 1950 and completed the course at the

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in June 1950. He was then ordered to Quantico for duty as commanding officer of Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-One), the Corps' only

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

at that time. During the next 18 months, HMX-One served as a focal point for the expansion of the Marine Corps Helicopter program. He was promoted to colonel in June 1951.

Korean War

In December 1951, Colonel McCutcheon took command of Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 161 in Korea. He earned his second Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and his seventh through tenth Air Medals in this capacity. In October 1952, he reported to Headquarters, United States European Command, in Frankfurt, Germany, where he served successively as operations officer, assistant chief, and later chief, Operations Branch, J-3 Division until May 1954. Colonel McCutcheon assumed duties in June 1954 as chief, Air Section, Marine Corps Equipment Board, Quantico. In August 1957, he reported as commanding officer, MAG-26, at New River, North Carolina. He commanded the helicopter group until June 1959, when he was detached to enter the

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in Washington.

1960s

Marine general officers symposium group photo 1967

Following graduation, he was assigned to

Headquarters Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The function, ...

in July 1960 as assistant director of aviation, becoming Director of Aviation in September 1961. In March 1962, he was promoted to brigadier general and assumed command of the Hawaii-based 1st Marine Brigade. Remaining in Hawaii, General McCutcheon joined the staff of the commander in chief, Pacific, in January 1963 as assistant chief of staff for operations. For exceptionally meritorious service in this capacity from 1963 to 1965, he was awarded his third Legion of Merit.

Vietnam War

Ordered to the

Republic of 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 ...

in June 1965, General McCutcheon earned his first

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for service as commanding general,

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Activ ...

and as deputy commander, III Marine Amphibious Force. He was also awarded the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and the Vietnamese Medal of Honor (First Class). In January 1966, he was promoted to major general while serving in Vietnam. Upon his return to the United States in June 1966, General McCutcheon served almost four years as deputy chief of staff (air), at Headquarters Marine Corps, and earned a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal.

1970s

Nominated for promotion to lieutenant general, his nomination was approved by

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on February 5, 1970, and confirmed by the

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on February 24, 1970. After his promotion to that rank on February 26, 1970, he returned to the Republic of Vietnam for duty as commanding general, III Marine Amphibious Force. For exceptionally meritorious service in this assignment through January 1971, he was awarded his third Distinguished Service Medal. At the time of his retirement, he was special assistant to the commandant of the Marine Corps.

Promotion to general and retirement

McCutcheon was nominated for his fourth star and appointed assistant commandant of the Marine Corps in 1970 by President Nixon, although he was unable to assume the post because of ill health. However, because of his distinguished career as a Marine, Congress passed special legislation which provided he be placed on the retired list with the rank of general. On July 1, 1971, General McCutcheon received his fourth star and was placed on the retired list. He died of cancer on July 13, 1971, at the

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, Bethesda, Maryland. He is buried in

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 ...

Decorations

A complete list of his decorations and medals include:

References

General Keith B. McCutcheon, USMC
''Who's Who in Marine Corps History'', History Division, United States Marine Corps.

Arlington National Cemetery profile.

AcePilots.com. {{DEFAULTSORT:McCutcheon, Keith B. 1915 births 1971 deaths 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 United States Naval Aviators United States Marine Corps generals Assistant Commandants of the United States Marine Corps Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Air Medal Carnegie Mellon University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery