Randolph M. Pate
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Randolph McCall Pate (February 11, 1898 – July 31, 1961) was a United States Marine Corps general who served as the 21st
Commandant of the Marine Corps The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions. The CMC reports directly to the secr ...
from 1956 to 1959. Pate was a veteran of World War II, seeing action at
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
and
Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...
, and later served in Korea, and pre-war expeditionary service in Santo Domingo and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.


Early years

Pate was born at Port Royal, South Carolina, on February 11, 1898. After a brief tour of enlisted service with the United States Army in 1918, he entered the Virginia Military Institute, graduating in June 1921, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve that September, and the following May accepted his commission in the Regular Marine Corps.


Military career

In addition to expeditionary duty in Santo Domingo in 1923 and 1924 and in China from 1927 to 1929, Pate served at various post in the United States and Hawaii. He was promoted to first lieutenant in September 1926, to captain in November 1934, and to major in October 1938. In the spring of 1939, he became assistant chief of staff for supply, 1st Marine Division, at New River (later Camp Lejeune), North Carolina, and while there was promoted to lieutenant colonel in January 1942. He began his World War II service in this capacity, participating in the planning and combat phases of the Guadalcanal campaign. Pate was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Raymond P. Coffman on October 21, 1942. He was promoted to colonel in December 1943, and later saw further service in the Pacific area. In World War II, General
Holland M. Smith Holland McTyeire "Howlin' Mad" Smith, KCB (April 20, 1882 – January 12, 1967) was a general in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He is sometimes called the "father" of modern U.S. amphibious warfare. His nickname, "Howl ...
awarded Pate 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 ...
for outstanding service as deputy chief of staff to the commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. Serving in that capacity from September 11, 1944, to November 1, 1945, Pate, then a colonel, was cited in particular for his performance of duty during amphibious operations on Palau,
Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...
and Okinawa. In 1947, General
Alexander A. Vandegrift General Alexander Archer Vandegrift, USMC (March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general. During World War II, he commanded the 1st Marine Division to victory in its first ground offensive of the war, the Bat ...
, then Commandant of the Marine Corps, presented Pate a Gold Star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit. The award was for exceptionally meritorious service at
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
as assistant chief of staff for supply of the 1st Marine Division during the United States' first offensive against Japan. Returning to the United States after the war, Pate was named director of the Division of Reserve at Marine Corps Headquarters in January 1946. The following year he assumed duties as a member of the
Navy General Board The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, somewhat akin to a naval general staff and somewhat not. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by Secretary ...
. In July 1948, he became chief of staff of the Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, and two years later was named director of the Marine Corps Educational Center. While stationed at Quantico in September 1949, he was promoted to brigadier general. In July 1951, Pate was assigned to the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he served as deputy director of the Joint Staff for logistic Plans. He was named director of the
Marine Corps Reserves The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned pe ...
for a second time that November, and in August 1952 was promoted to major general. The following month, he took command of the
2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina ...
at Camp Lejeune. Ordered to Korea in June 1953, he commanded the
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 ...
until May 1954, earning him the
Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...
and the Republic of Korea's Order of Military Merit Taiquk. In July 1954, Pate was appointed assistant commandant of the Marine Corps and chief of staff, serving in that capacity with the rank of lieutenant general for eighteen months. On January 1, 1956, he was promoted to the rank of general and executed the oath of office as Commandant of the Marine Corps, succeeding General
Lemuel C. Shepherd Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr. (February 10, 1896 – August 6, 1990) was a four-star general of the United States Marine Corps. A veteran of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, he was the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps. As Co ...
. Following four years as commandant, he retired with the rank of general. At his retirement ceremonies, December 31, 1959, Pate was awarded the
Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritoriou ...
for "exceptionally meritorious service to the Government of the United States in a duty of great responsibility as Commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1956 to December 31, 1959."


Post-military

Following a brief illness, Pate died at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland, July 31, 1961. Funeral services were held on August 3, 1961, in the Fort Myer Chapel, Arlington, Virginia, and he was interred with
full military honors A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...
in Arlington National Cemetery. Pate's wife, Mary Elizabeth Bunting Pate (July 4, 1899 – December 31, 1975), whom he married on July 2, 1926, is buried with him.


Honors and awards

Pate's medals and decorations include: The citation for his Distinguished Service Medal states, in part:


References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pate, Randolph M. 1898 births 1961 deaths Military personnel from South Carolina United States Marine Corps generals United States Army personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Korea) Virginia Military Institute alumni People from Port Royal, South Carolina Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American military personnel of the Banana Wars Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal United States Marine Corps Commandants