Major General Logan Feland (18 August 1869 – 17 July 1936) was a

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 ...

general who last served as

commanding general The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the Department of the Pacific. Feland served during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

(3rd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry), the occupation of Veracruz (1914) and in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, where he was in command of all troops during the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisi ...

Biography

Logan Feland was born in

Hopkinsville, Kentucky Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 31,577. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 b ...

, on August 18, 1869. He studied at

Hopkinsville High School Hopkinsville High School is a four-year public high school located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, with over 1,000 students. It is operated by the Christian County Public Schools school district. History There was controversy in 1925 when the Christia ...

and

South Kentucky College South Kentucky College, originally South Kentucky Institute and later renamed McLean College, was a finishing school for girls founded in 1849 that became a co-educational college before closing by 1914, located in Belmont Hill in Hopkinsville, ...

. He received a B.A. in architecture from 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 ...

in 1892. He married Katherine Cordner on February 14, 1907. During the

, he was the captain of Company F, 3rd Kentucky Infantry, from May 31, 1898, until May 16, 1899, when he was honorably mustered out. By virtue of his previous military experience, he was appointed directly to the rank of first lieutenant in the Marine Corps on 1 July 1899. Feland was promoted to captain, 3 March 1903; to major, 29 August 1916; to lieutenant colonel, 26 March 1917; to colonel 1 July 1918; to brigadier general, 9 March 1919; and to major general, 1 October 1931. In the grades of lieutenant and captain he served with Marine Detachments on , ''

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

'', ''

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

'', ''

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

'', and ''

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

''. Prior to World War I he had more than eight years of foreign duty including service in Panama in 1904 and in 1911; expeditions to Guantanamo Bay in 1904, 1911, 1912, and 1913; San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1904; service with the Army of Cuban Pacification in 1906; service in Santo Domingan waters in 1912; Culebra in 1914; and the occupation of Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1914. His home service was equally varied and included duty at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., League Island (Philadelphia), Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, Norfolk, and New York; instruction in submarine mining at the Torpedo Station, Narragansett Bay; teaching in the School of Application, Annapolis, and the Advanced Base School, New London, Connecticut; observation of Army artillery practice at Fortress Monroe, Virginia; the supervising of construction of new barracks at Annapolis; and recruiting in New York.

World War I

Feland was attached 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 ...

for service in France in World War I and was among the first contingent of American forces which went overseas with General John J. Pershing in May 1917. On his arrival in France, Feland was made

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 ...

(XO) of the 5th Marines. When the unit, as part of the 4th Marine Brigade, was thrown into the breach to stem the German advance at

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition att ...

in May 1918, Feland was, as ever, in the thick of the fighting. At Belleau Wood in June 1918 when the halt in the German advance was turned into a retreat, Feland was given command of all troops in the Wood. For his conspicuous valor on this occasion, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. After his promotion to colonel, Feland became commanding officer (CO) of the 5th Marine Regiment after the former CO,

Wendell Cushing Neville Wendell Cushing Neville (May 12, 1870 – July 8, 1930) was a major general of the United States Marine Corps. He was a Medal of Honor recipient and 14th Commandant of the Marine Corps between 1929 and 1930. Military career Neville was bor ...

, was promoted to command the 4th Marine Brigade. As such, he led it in the Battles of

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

Blanc Mont Ridge The Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge (3 October to 27 October 1918) occurred during World War I, northeast of Reims, in Champagne, France. The US Army's 2nd Infantry Division and the 36th Infantry Division alongside the French Fourth Army opposed ...

and in the Argonne. For his outstanding exploits in the War, Feland was awarded, in addition to the Distinguished Service Cross mentioned above, the Distinguished Service Medals of both the Army and the Navy, Officer's rank in the Legion of Honor, the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

with bronze star, gold star, and four palms, and was cited in dispatches six times. Upon his return to the United States in May 1919, Feland was stationed at

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, ...

until December when he was detached to command the 2nd Brigade in Santo Domingo. Returning to the United States the following fall, he again joined Headquarters in the capacity of Director of the Division of Operations and Training. He held that post for two years after which he was Assistant to the Major General Commandant for another two years. From November 1926 to February 1927 he was called from his command of the Marine Expeditionary Force at Quantico to head the Eastern Section of the U.S. Mail Guard. In April 1927, Feland took command of the 2nd Brigade 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 ...

. After four months in Nicaragua he was transferred to the command of Marine Barracks, Parris Island, South Carolina, which post he held from September 1927 to January 1928. He then returned to

and assumed command of the Brigade for a second time, serving there until March 1929. For this second tour in Nicaragua, Feland was awarded another Distinguished Service Medal. Following a short period at Headquarters after his return from Nicaragua, Feland was assigned as commanding general of the

Department of the Pacific The Department of the Pacific or Pacific Department was a major command ( Department) of the United States Army from 1853 to 1858. It replaced the Pacific Division, and was itself replaced by the Department of California and the Department of O ...

in July 1929. He was serving in that position when he was detached on 25 February 1933. He retired from the Marine Corps on 1 September 1933. Feland died at

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, on 17 July 1936. He was 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 ...

Awards and honors

Feland is the recipient of the following awards:

Award citation

:The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Colonel Logan Feland, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism in action during the operations at Bois de Belleau, June 6–14, 1918. Colonel Feland distinguished himself by his energy, courage, and disregard for personal safety in voluntarily leading troops into action through heavy artillery and machine-gun fire. His efforts contributed largely to our successes at this point.Arlington National Cemetery profile
/ref>

Notes

References