Samuel Lutz Howard (March 8, 1891 – October 12, 1960) 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 A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

who served with distinction in the Marine Corps for thirty-eight years. In the early stages of World War II, General Howard commanded 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 ...

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...

and

Corregidor Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...

from December 7, 1941, to May 6, 1942. For distinguished service in that bitter encounter, he was awarded 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 ...

. Captured by the Japanese at Corregidor, he was forced to march many miles to a prison camp where he was held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

from 1942 until being liberated in 1945. He was the most senior U.S. Marine to be held captive during World War II. After the war, he continued to serve until 1953, including posts as commanding general of 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 ...

, Commanding General of Marine Corps Recruit depot Parris Island S.C. from Feb. 2nd 1946 to Feb. 12 1946, and his final post as Inspector General of the Marine Corps.

Biography

Howard was born on March 8, 1891, 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, ...

He graduated from the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

in 1912. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on May 11, 1914, at which time he reported for duty at the Marine Officers' School, Marine Barracks in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

Early military career

In August 1915, Howard was sent on his first tour of foreign duty to

Port au Prince, Haiti Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and 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 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

, with a Marine Expeditionary regiment, which was sent to Haiti after two Americans were killed by snipers. In December 1916, he went to sea as a member of the

Marine Detachment A Marine Detachment, or MarDet, was a unit of 35 to 85 United States Marines aboard large warships including cruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers. They were a regular component of a ship's company from the formation of the United States Ma ...

aboard the and remained on sea duty for almost three years, assuming command of the Marine detachment, in 1917, and the Marine detachment on the in 1918. Two years of recruiting duty in Richmond, Virginia, and a year at the Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., preceded the General's second tour of foreign duty, this time with the Second Brigade Marines in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. Returning to the United States in August 1924, he served at the Marine Corps Base, San Diego, California, with the Fourth Marine Regiment until assigned to the Field Officers' Course, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, the following year. Upon graduation in May 1926, he was assigned to duty at

Marine Corps Headquarters 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, ...

in Washington, D.C., where he was a member of the War Plans Section, and later a member of the Commandant's Department (then John A. Lejeune). In June 1929, Howard joined the

United States occupation of Haiti The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the National City Bank of New York convinced the President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, to take control of ...

, where his duties for the next years included chief of police and department commander, Port au Prince, Haiti. He was returned to the U.S. and assumed duties with the

First Battalion ''Panzer Elite Action: Fields of Glory'' (sometimes just ''Panzer Elite Action'') is a video game, developed by ZootFly and published by JoWooD Productions. It was released in Europe in 2006, but was not released in North America. Gameplay ''Pa ...

, Seventh Marines, until August 1934, at which time he was again transferred to Marine Corps Headquarters. From August 1934 until June 1938, he served as 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 ...

, Division of Operations and Training, Headquarters Marine Corps. In June 1938, he was ordered to the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, as a student in the Senior Course. Following graduation, the Howard joined the Second Brigade,

Fleet Marine Force The United States Fleet Marine Forces (FMF) are combined general- and special-purpose forces within the United States Department of the Navy that perform offensive amphibious or expeditionary warfare and defensive maritime employment. The Fleet ...

, as commanding officer, Sixth Marine Regiment later becoming Brigade Executive Officer, and finally Division Chief of Staff of the Marine Division. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in October 1938.

World War II

Eight months prior to the

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, j ...

, Howard went to China to take command of the Fourth Marines at

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 flow ...

, assuming command on May 14, 1941. In late November, the regiment was withdrawn from China, and arrived in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on December 2. Five days later, Howard and the 4th Marines began the fight that lasted until the

fall of Corregidor The Battle of Corregidor (; ), fought on May 5–6, 1942, was the culmination of the Empire of Japan, Japanese campaign for the Philippines campaign (1941–1942), conquest of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II. The f ...

in May 1942. For his distinguished service during the bitter fighting at Bataan and Corregidor, he was awarded the Navy Cross. Navy Cross citation: Howard's Navy Cross citation reads in part: : ...Colonel Howard successfully and efficiently employed his force in the defense of Olongapo until ordered to withdraw. The Regiment was then shifted to Corregidor where it rendered outstandingly courageous service in the defense of the beaches of that island fortress... :During the prolonged siege, Colonel Howard commanded all beach defenses... Although exposed to many and repeated bombing and strafing attacks, and terrific artillery bombardments, Colonel Howard displayed outstanding qualities of courage, leadership and efficiency under most difficult and hazardous conditions. Howard was taken captive – and was the most senior U.S. Marine taken captive during World War II. Howard remained a

until liberated in August 1945. He was retroactively promoted to major general, effective March 30, 1942. He was returned to the United States, and after several months, was ordered to the Marine Barracks,

Parris Island, South Carolina Parris Island is a district of the city of Port Royal, South Carolina on an island of the same name. It became part of the city with the annexation of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on October 11, 2002. For statistical purposes, the ...

, as Deputy Commanding General. He served as acting commander from February 2, 1946 – February 12, 1946.

Post war years

Returning to China in September 1946, General Howard assumed command of the First Marine Division (Reinforced) with headquarters in

Tientsin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

. Upon withdrawal of the First Marine Division from China in June 1947, he was transferred to Pearl Harbor to become commanding general, Marine Garrison Forces, Pacific, which post to be held until September 1, 1948, when he returned to the United States. On September 10, 1948, he was ordered to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., as president of the Naval Examining Board and president of the Marine Corps Reserve Examining Board. He assumed his final post as of Inspector General of the Marine Corps on June 6, 1950; holding the post for almost three years.

Retirement

Howard retired from the Marine Corps on March 31, 1953, and was advanced to the grade of lieutenant general. Howard died on October 12, 1960, and was buried at

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: Howard, Samuel L
– ANC Explorer He left behind his widow, Marianna Buckner Gray Howard, and two daughters, Nancy Howard Shepard, and Elizabeth Howard Richardson.

Awards and decorations

Lieutenant General Howard's decoration and medals include:

Notes

References

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from the

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