GENERAL
DAVID M. SHOUP, USMC
(DECEASED)

 

 World War II 1941-1945 Medal of Honor Recipient
 Twenty-second Commandant 1 January 1960 - 31 December
 1963

 General David Monroe Shoup, World War II Medal of Honor
 recipient and 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps, was
 born 30 December 1904 in Battle Ground, Indiana. A 1926
 graduate of DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, he
 was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps at
 the University. He served for a month as a second
 lieutenant in the Army Infantry Reserve before he was
 commissioned a Marine second lieutenant on 20 July 1926.
 Ordered to Marine Officers Basic School at the
 Philadelphia Navy Yard, 2dLt Shoup’s instruction was
 interrupted twice by temporary duty elsewhere in the
 United States and by expeditionary duty with the 6th
 Marines in Tientsin, China. After serving in China
 during most of 1927, he completed Basic School in 1928.
 He then served at Quantico, Virginia; Pensacola,
 Florida; and San Diego, California.

 From June 1929 to September 1931, 2dLt Shoup was
 assigned to the Marine detachment aboard the USS
 Maryland. On his return from sea duty, he served as a
 company officer at the Marine Corps Base (later Marine
 Corps Recruit Depot), San Diego until May 1932 when he
 was ordered to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton,
 Washington. He was promoted to first lieutenant in June
 1932.

 First Lieutenant Shoup later served on temporary duty
 with the Civilian Conservation Corps in Idaho and New
 Jersey from June 1933 to May 1934. Following duty in
 Seattle, Washington, he was again ordered to China in
 November 1934, serving briefly with the 4th Marines in
 Shanghai and, subsequently, at the American Legation in
 Peiping. He returned to the United States, via Japan,
 early in June 1936 and was again stationed at the Puget
 Sound Navy Yard. He was promoted to captain in October
 1936.

 Captain Shoup entered the Junior Course, Marine Corps
 Schools, Quantico, in July 1937. On completing the
 course in May 1938, he served as an instructor for two
 years. In June 1940, he joined the 6th Marines in San
 Diego. He was promoted to major in April 1941.
 Major Shoup was ordered to Iceland with the 6th Marines
 in May 1941, and after serving as Regimental Operations
 Officer, became Operations Officer of the 1st Marine
 Brigade in Iceland in October 1941. For his service in
 Iceland during the first three months after the United
 States entered World War II, he was awarded the Letter
 of Commendation with Commendation Ribbon. He assumed
 command of the 2d Battalion, 6th Marines, in February
 1942. On returning to the States in March, the 1st
 Marine Brigade was disbanded and he returned with his
 battalion to San Diego. In July 1942, he became
 Assistant Operations and Training Officer of the 2d
 Marine Division. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel
 in August 1942.

 Sailing from San Diego aboard the USS Matsonia in
 September 1942, LtCol Shoup arrived at Wellington, New
 Zealand, later that month. From then until November
 1943, he served as G-3, Operations and Training Officer
 of the 2d Marine Division during the unit’s training
 period in New Zealand. His service in this capacity
 during the planning of the assault on Tarawa earned him
 his first Legion of Merit with Combat “V”. During this
 period, he also served briefly as an observer with the
 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal in October 1942 and
 as an observer with the 43d Army Division on Rendova,
 New Georgia in the summer of 1943, earning a Purple
 Heart in the latter operation.

 Promoted to colonel on 9 November 1943, Col Shoup was
 placed in command of the 2d Marines, the spearhead of
 the assault on Tarawa. During this action he earned the
 Medal of Honor as well as a second Purple Heart. He
 earned the Medal of Honor at Betio, a bitterly contested
 island of Tarawa Atoll, 20-22 November 1943, while
 commanding all ground troops ashore. The British
 Distinguished Service Order was also awarded him for
 this action.

 In December 1943, he became Chief of Staff of the 2d
 Marine Division. For outstanding service in this
 capacity from June to August 1944, during the battles
 for Saipan and Tinian, he was again awarded the Legion
 of Merit with Combat “V”. He returned to the United
 States in October 1944.

 On his return to the States, Col Shoup served as
 Logistics Officer, Division of Plans and Policies,
 Headquarters Marine Corps. He was again ordered overseas
 in June 1947. Two months later he became Commanding
 Officer, Service Command, Fleet Marine Force (FMF),
 Pacific. In June 1949, he joined the 1st Marine Division
 at Camp Pendleton as Division Chief of Staff. A year
 later, he was transferred to Quantico where he served as
 Commanding Officer of the Basic School from July 1950
 until April 1952. He was then assigned to the Office of
 the Fiscal Director, Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC),
 serving as Assistant Fiscal Director. He was promoted to
 brigadier general in April 1953.

 In July 1953, BGen Shoup was named Fiscal Director of
 the Marine Corps. While serving in this capacity, he was
 promoted to major general in September 1955.
 Subsequently, in May 1956, he began a brief assignment
 as Inspector General for Recruit Training. Following
 this, he served as Inspector General of the Marine Corps
 from September 1956 until May 1957. He returned to Camp
 Pendleton in June 1957 to become Commanding General of
 the 1st Marine Division.

 Major General Shoup joined the 3d Marine Division on
 Okinawa in March 1958 as Commanding General. Following
 his return to the States, he served as Commanding
 General of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris
 Island, from May to October 1959. On 2 November 1959, he
 was promoted to lieutenant general and assigned duties
 as Chief of Staff, HQMC.

 Lieutenant General Shoup was nominated by President
 Dwight D. Eisenhower on 12 August 1959 to be the 22d
 Commandant of the Marine Corps. Upon assuming his post
 as Commandant of the Marine Corps on 1 January 1960, he
 was promoted to four-star rank.

 His time in office saw the beginning of limited
 operations in Vietnam with Marine helicopter units
 flying from Soc Trang, an abandoned airstrip south of
 Saigon.

 On 21 January 1964, shortly after his retirement, Gen
 Shoup was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by
 President Lyndon B. Johnson for exceptionally
 meritorious service as Commandant of the Marine Corps.
 General Shoup retired to Arlington, Virginia, in 1963.
 He died on 13 January 1983 after a long illness and was
 buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

 A complete list of the Gen Shoup’s medals and
 decorations includes: the Medal of Honor; the
 Distinguished Service Medal; the Legion of Merit with
 Combat “V” and Gold Star in lieu of a second award; the
 Letter of Commendation with Commendation Ribbon; the
 Purple Heart with Gold Star in lieu of a second award;
 the Expeditionary Unit Citation; the Yangtze Service
 Medal; the Expeditionary Medal; the American Defense
 Service Medal with Base clasp; the  European-African-

Middle  Eastern Campaign Medal; the  Asiatic-Pacific

Campaign Medal with four bronze stars;  the American

Campaign Medal; the World War II Victory   Medal;

the National Defense Service Medal; and the British

Distinguished Service Order.

 

 

 

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