William Henry Rupertus (November 14, 1889 – March 25, 1945) was a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the

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 ...

, who commanded the famed

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 th ...

in the Pacific 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 opposing ...

and also authored the USMC

Rifleman's Creed The Rifleman's Creed (also known as My Rifle and The Creed of the United States Marine) is a part of basic United States Marine Corps doctrine. Major General William H. Rupertus wrote it during World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor bet ...

Military career

Rupertus began his military career immediately after graduating high school, serving in the

District of Columbia National Guard The District of Columbia National Guard is the branch of the United States National Guard based in the District of Columbia. It comprises both the District of Columbia Army National Guard, D.C. Army National Guard and the District of Columbia A ...

from 1907 to 1910. Originally, he intended to serve as a cutter captain in the

United States Revenue Cutter Service ) , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries=4 August , decorations= , battle_honours= , battle_honours_label= , disbanded=28 January 1915 , flying_hours= , website= , commander1= , co ...

, the earlier version of the modern

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

. He was accepted to the U.S. Revenue Cutter School of Instruction on April 28, 1910. He graduated academically second in his class on May 15, 1913, but failed the physical examination. Because he was physically unqualified, he resigned from the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service on June 18, 1913. However, his excellent marksmanship led to his being recruited by the Marine Corps. He accepted a commission in November 1913, then attended the Marine Corps Officers School, graduating first in his class of 1915. Rupertus served on the Marine Corps rifle team, earning the Distinguished Marksman badge and winning a number of shooting matches. Rupertus was serving aboard the battleship when the United States entered

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 ...

and was subsequently recalled up to the U.S. to command a detachment of Marines headed for

Port-au-Prince, Haiti Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618 ...

. Rupertus served in Haiti for three years until after the war, when he was sent to staff officer training and then made Inspector of Target Practice in the Operations and Training Division at Marine Corps Headquarters. In 1929 he commanded a detachment of the 4th Marines in Peking, China. In July 1937, Rupertus was a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

commander in the 4th Marines when the Japanese attacked Shanghai in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

. During

, as commanding officer of the Marine barracks at San Diego, he wrote the Marine Corps Rifleman's Creed right after Pearl Harbor was bombed. He penned the

with the intent of encouraging expert marksmanship and Marines' trust in their weapons. In March 1942, he served as assistant division commander of the

under Major General

Alexander 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 B ...

in New River, North Carolina to assist in the formation and training of the First Marine Division. Rupertus commanded the Landing Task Force Organization which captured the islands of

Tulagi Tulagi, less commonly known as Tulaghi, is a small island——in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule. The town of the same name on the island (pop. 1,750) was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 1 ...

Gavutu Gavutu is a small islet in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands, some in length. It is one of the Nggela Islands. History The first recorded sighting by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Álvaro de Mendaña on 16 April 1568. Mo ...

and

Tanambogo Tanambogo is an islet in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. It is one of the Florida Islands. History The first recorded sighting by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Álvaro de Mendaña on 16 April 1568. More precisely the si ...

in the Guadalcanal campaign. After Vandegrift left the division in 1943, Rupertus took command. He led the 1st Marine Division during the

Battle of Cape Gloucester The Battle of Cape Gloucester was fought in the Pacific theater of World War II between Japanese and Allied forces on the island of New Britain, Territory of New Guinea, between 26 December 1943 and 16 January 1944. Codenamed Operation Backhan ...

and the

Battle of Peleliu The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II by the US military, was fought between the United States and Japan during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign of World War II, from September 15 to November 27, 1944, on the island of ...

. In November 1944, Major General Rupertus became the commandant of the Marine Corps Schools at

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east ...

. His tenure was short, however, as he died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on March 25, 1945, just four months later. 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 ...

.Burial Detail: Rupertus, William H
– ANC Explorer

Awards and honors

Major General Rupertus' decorations included: In 1945, the U.S. Navy destroyer was named in his honor."Rupertus", ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' 2005. Rupertus also received the Faciat Georgius commemorative medal for service on Guadalcanal.

Navy Cross citation

Citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Brigadier General William H. Rupertus (MCSN: 0-852), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service as Commander of a Landing Force Task Organization composed of the FIRST Raider Battalion, the Second Battalion, FIFTH Marines, and the FIRST Parachute Battalion, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the attack on the Solomon Islands, 7 to 9 August 1942. Despite the comparatively short time afforded him in which to organize his command, Brigadier General Rupertus quickly and efficiently assembled a provisional staff, and with their aid, his forces landed on Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo, British Solomon Islands, and successfully assaulted a series of strategically disposed and strongly defended enemy positions. Personally conducting the operation and dauntlessly exposing himself to enemy fire whenever necessary, he displayed exceptional courage and cool determination which served as an inspiration to the officers and men of his command. His bold and judicious decisions and his high professional attainments contributed effectively to the success of our operations in the Tulagi Area and his conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Books on General Rupertus

Old Breed General, co-authored by Don Brown, author of multiple books on the U.S. Military and Amy Rupertus Peacock, who is General Rupertus's granddaughter, published in 2022 by Rowman & Littlefield through Stackpole Books.

Notes

References

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External links

: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rupertus, William H. 1889 births 1945 deaths Military personnel from Washington, D.C. United States Marine Corps World War II generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Distinguished Marksman People from Washington, D.C. Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Marine Corps generals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I