Fred Dale Beans (November 3, 1906 – September 13, 1980) was a decorated officer of 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 ...

with the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, who is most noted as commanding officer of the

3rd Marine Raider Battalion The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. " Edson's" Raiders of 1st Marine Raider Battalion and " Carlson's" Ra ...

during the

Bougainville Campaign The Bougainville campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan, named after the island of Bougainville. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allie ...

. He was the father of

James D. Beans James Dale Beans is a retired, highly decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. He is most noted for his service as the assistant chief of staff for Command, Control, Communications, and Computer, Int ...

, who also served in the marines and rose to the rank of brigadier general.

Early career

Fred Dale Beans was born on November 3, 1906, in

Skidmore, Kansas Skidmore is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, Kansas Cherokee County (county code CK) is a U.S. county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 19,362. Its county seat is Columbus, and its mo ...

, but he moved with his family to Mineral Wells, Texas, and later to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. He attended the Bryant Street High School there and graduated in 1921. Beans worked as electrician for some time, before he enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as a

seaman apprentice Constructionman Apprenticevariation Fireman Apprenticevariation Airman Apprenticevariation Seaman Apprenticeinsignia Collarinsignia Seaman apprentice is the second lowest enlisted rate in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, an ...

in January 1924. Following two years of enlisted service, he was recommended by his superiors to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in Annapolis, Maryland, where he began his studies in June 1926. During his studies at the Naval Academy, Beans played for Navy Midshipmen football and also for the Navy Midshipmen men's lacrosse team. He finally graduated on June 5, 1930, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on the same date. As any other newly commissioned officer, he was sent for further officer training to the Basic School at

Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...

. Beans graduated from the school during the following summer and was subsequently sent within expeditionary forces to

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 countr ...

to fight rebel forces. He distinguished himself during his service there and received Nicaraguan Cross of Valor with Diploma. Upon his return to the United States, Beans was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant on May 29, 1934, and assigned to the Marine detachment aboard the cruiser . Beans was ordered for instruction to Army Infantry School at Fort Benning and graduated in June 1937. He was promoted to the rank of captain on June 30, 1937, and assigned to the 6th Marine Regiment for expeditionary duties in China. Beans was stationed in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

and participated in the defense of the International Settlement during 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 ...

World War II

At the time of the Japanese

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

, Beans served briefly with 2nd Defense Battalion on

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, before he was transferred to the

8th Marine Regiment The 8th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. When last active, it was based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and fell under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Exped ...

and sailed to South Pacific. He was promoted to the rank of major on April 29, 1942, and subsequently to the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel on August 7, 1942. Beans also received the Bronze Star Medal for his service during the early Pacific service. Lieutenant Colonel Beans was transferred to the command of the

on June 16, 1943, and subsequently participated in the

. He led his battalion during the

Landings at Cape Torokina The Landings at Cape Torokina (1–3 November 1943), also known as Operation Cherryblossom, took place at the beginning of the Bougainville campaign in World War II. The amphibious landings were carried out by elements of the United States Mar ...

on November 9, 1943. Beans participated in the landing and while his men were pinned down by enemy fire, he didn't hesitate move his command post to the front lines and without regard for his own personal safety, rallied his men and immediately launched a counterattack. He remained in the front line area for next eight hours and drove enemy out from its position with inflicting heavy losses on his side. For his inspiring leadership, courage and intrepid fighting spirit, Beans was decorated with the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. The Marine Raiders program was terminated in January 1944, and Beans was subsequently transferred back to the United States. He served for a brief period in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

and then also 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, ...

, 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, ...

, before the Marine Raiders Battalions were used to reestablish the

4th Marine Regiment The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Mission Close with and destroy the enemy by fi ...

. Beans was appointed Regiment's executive officer under Colonel

Alan Shapley Lieutenant General Alan Shapley ( Alan Herreshoff; February 9, 1903 – May 13, 1973) was a United States Marine Corps officer who survived the sinking of the USS ''Arizona'' during the World War II attack on Pearl Harbor, and went on to serve w ...

in September 1944 and later participated in the

Okinawa campaign 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 ...

in April 1945. When the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Major Bernard W. Green, was killed in action, Beans took over the command of the badly shaken battalion and accomplished the mission of capturing the enemy bastion of Mount Yaedake. For this act of leadership and valor, he was decorated with the Silver Star.

Later career

Finally at the beginning of July 1945, Colonel Shapley was ordered back to the United States and Beans was appointed as the new commanding officer of the 4th Marine Regiment. He led the regiment during the Occupation of Japan and returned to the United States in March 1946. His last assignment was with G-3 section (operations) within Division of Plans and Policies at

. While served in this capacity, Beans was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on January 1, 1948. However bad health forced him to retire, as he did on July 1, 1948. Following his retirement, Beans was advanced to the rank of

on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat. For his service at Headquarters Marine Corps, he received the

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

. During his civilian life, Beans settled in Annapolis, Maryland, and established and operated his own construction company. He was also a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club. Beans died of a heart attack on September 13, 1980, in

Anne Arundel Medical Center The Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) is a regional health system headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. In addition to the main campus in Annapolis, the group has outpatient pavilions in Bowie, Kent Island, Odenton, Easton and Waugh Chapel. ...

in Annapolis. He is buried at

United States Naval Academy Cemetery The United States Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium is a cemetery at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. History In 1868 the Naval Academy purchased a 67-acre piece of land called Strawberry Hill as part of their effort ...

together with both of his wives, Elizabeth G. Stehle and Martha B. White. He had two children from his first marriage: a daughter, Arden Parsons Beans, and a son,

, who also served in the Marine Corps as noted above.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Brigadier General Fred D. Beans:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beans, Fred D. 1906 births 1980 deaths People from Cherokee County, Kansas United States Naval Academy alumni United States Marine Corps generals Marine Raiders United States Navy sailors American military personnel of the Banana Wars United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery