General Vernon Edgar Megee (June 5, 1900 – January 14, 1992) was a United States Marine Corps general. He is recognized as a pioneer in the development of

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

for ground combat operations." General Vernon E. Megee, USMC", Marine Corps Legacy Museum. He served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1956 to 1957; with his final billet from 1957 to 1959 as commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. When he retired from the Marine Corps, after 40 years of active duty service, he received a promotion to

4-star rank Military star ranking is military terminology, used to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One–star A one–star rank is usually the lowest ranking general or flag ...

Biography

Vernon Megee was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 5, 1900. After attending Oklahoma A&M College from 1917 to 1919, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1919, and spent the next two years on

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

duty at

Parris Island Parris is both a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Parris Afton Bonds, American novelist * Parris Campbell (born 1997), American football player * Parris Duffus (born 1970), retired American ice hockey go ...

, South Carolina."Chronology", '' Vernon E. Megee Papers'', Eisenhower Library. In 1921, he was selected for Officer Candidate School (OCS).

Early Marine Corps career — 1920s

In 1922, upon graduation from OCS, Megee was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. For the next several years he held many positions in Marine forces stationed abroad, including one tour of duty in Haiti and two tours of duty in China. He served his first tour of expeditionary duty with the 1st Marine Brigade in Haiti from October 1923 to November 1925. He was then stationed with the 10th Marines at Quantico, Virginia. He was promoted to first lieutenant in March 1926. In April 1927 Megee deployed to China on his second tour of expeditionary duty. On return to the States in March 1928, he was assigned to preliminary aviation training at the Naval Air Station, San Diego, California. In January 1929 he began another tour of expeditionary service as Squadrons Quartermaster, Aircraft Squadrons, 2nd Marine Brigade, in Nicaragua. After earning the

Navy and Marine Corps Medal The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The medal was established by an act of Congr ...

there, he returned to the United States to enter flight training at Pensacola, Florida in January 1931.

Marine aviator — 1930s

In February 1932 he qualified as 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 was assigned to Aircraft Squadrons, West Coast Expeditionary Forces in San Diego, California. From June 1933 to August 1936, he was an instructor at the Marine Corps School in Quantico, Virginia. From the period of August 1936 to June 1939, he attended the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field in Alabama, after which he returned to Quantico as an instructor until July 1939. From July 1939 until 1940, he was Commander of Marine Fighter Squadron 2,

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 ...

. From 1940 to 1943, Megee was the

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 ...

of the U.S. Naval Aviation Mission to Peru.

World War II; 1940s

In November 1943, Megee checked into

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 and ...

and was designated as the Chief of Staff of the

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...

(3d MAW). At the time 3d MAW was in charge of pilot training. In the spring of 1944, 3d MAW was designated to go to Hawaii to absorb the functions of Marine Air, Hawaiian Area. Megee left the United States in late April on board the . He remained with the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing as they got established at

Marine Corps Air Station Ewa Marine Corps Air Station Ewa (MCAS Ewa) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located west of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The base was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later served as the hub for all Mar ...

in May 1944. In October 1944, Colonel Magee was named as the commanding officer of Provisional Air Support Command whose role was to organize, train and equip Marine units to duplicate the air control function of the navy but do it ashore. He served in combat in World War II on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. During the

Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...

, he was commander of Landing Force Air Support Control Unit One. For his service in this capacity, he was awarded 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"." General Vernon E. Megee, USMC", ''Who's Who in Marine Corps History''. During 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 ...

, he commanded all the Marine Landing Force Air Support Control units, for which he was awarded 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 ...

with Combat "V".

1950s — Commands, Assistant Commandant

After the war, he became an instructor at the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

, and was promoted to brigadier general in December 1946. From January 1947 to January 1950, he served as assistant director of Marine Corps Aviation. Megee finished his bachelor's degree with Oklahoma A&M in 1950, and then served in a variety of positions in the Department of Defense and held several commands: Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point Commanding General, Aircraft,

Fleet Marine Force, Pacific The United States Fleet Marine Force, Pacific (FMFPAC) is the largest maritime landing force in the world. Its units are spread across the Pacific Ocean and reports to the United States Pacific Command. It is headquartered at MCB Camp H. M ...

First 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. Act ...

, and commanding general, Aircraft,

Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT) is an American maritime landing force that is spread across the Atlantic Ocean. It is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk and directs and commands all the subordinate elements of the Navy Expeditiona ...

. He commanded the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing during the Korean War from January to December, 1953. He was awarded 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 ...

for his service during this time. He was promoted to lieutenant general in January 1956. From January 1956 to December 1957, he was

Assistant Commandant Assistant Commandant is a title often given to the second-in-command of a military, uniformed service, training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations, and in some countries it may be a military or police rank. ...

and Chief of Staff of the Marine Corps., the first Marine aviator to serve as assistant commandant.

Lambert Lambert may refer to People *Lambert (name), a given name and surname * Lambert, Bishop of Ostia (c. 1036–1130), became Pope Honorius II *Lambert, Margrave of Tuscany ( fl. 929–931), also count and duke of Lucca *Lambert (pianist), stage-name ...

, ''New York Times'', 1992. Then from December 1957 to November 1959, he was the commanding general of the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. Megee retired from the Marine Corps in November 1959 and was advanced to the rank of general upon retirement by reason of having been specially commended in combat.

In retirement

After retirement, he settled in Austin, Texas, and attended graduate school at the University of Texas, earning his Master of Arts degree in 1963 – writing a Master's thesis titled "United States Military Intervention in Nicaragua, 1902–1932." He helped organize the

Marine Military Academy The Marine Military Academy is a private college preparatory academy located in Harlingen, Texas, US, offering a college preparatory curriculum for boys in grades 7–12 plus one year of post-graduate study. The school was founded in 1965. Its ...

Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than and is the second-largest city in ...

, where he served as superintendent and president of the board of trustees from 1964 to 1988. He was a member of the National Rifle Association of America and wrote numerous articles on firearms for various sporting magazines. Megee died in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, on January 14, 1992, at age 91 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with his wife Nell.Burial Detail: Megee,Vernon E
– ANC Explorer

Biography

Early Marine Corps career — 1920s

Marine aviator — 1930s

World War II; 1940s

1950s — Commands, Assistant Commandant

In retirement

Awards and decorations

See also

Notes

References

Further reading