Evening star., 1942-08-30
Friends in Marines
Laud Gen. vandegrift
As Fighting Man
Shorpshooter From Hills
Of Virginia Commands
SoIomons Tusk Force
Z,
BY FRANK /. WELLER,
wfda Unrld

By FRANK I. WELLER, n
/ Wide World.
a.. And there came down out OF
the mountains-a Marine!"
That may sound like an odd way
to start talking about Maj. Gen.
Alexander A. Vandegrift, command
ing officer of the Marine Corps task
force in the Solomon Islands, but
his friends and relatives say he'd
ask no higher tribute.
"vandy'-that's what his wife,
Mildred, calls. hints a mountain
man and let beware the Jap who
gets between his rife sights"
"Archie"-that's what his old pal.
Brig. Gen. Robert l.. Denig, U. S.
NJ. c., calls hints as hard as his
Virginia hills when it's time to use
bullets and bayonets."
"James"-that's what the famous
Marine Corps commandant, Gen.
Smedley D. Butler, called him to
the day he died-"James Is the
damndest. f1ghtin' est hillbilly hot
stillin' er feudin'," Gen. Butter al
ways said.
Would Settle for Ice Cream.
But this terror from the hill coun-
try told everyone before he sailed
for the Solomons that as soon as
"the Marines whip Japan" he in
tends to crawl into a cabin some
where between his two. Virginia
homes, Charlottesville and Lynch
burg, and spend his old days eating
hog meat and hominy.
"Midgie"-that's what the general
calls his wife-says she thinks he'll
settle for ice cream She says he can
eat more of that stuff than most
anyone
Gen. Vandergrift is IS years old.
He left Charlottesville. Va, in 1909
to become a second lieutenant of
marines.
According to Gen. Denig he
raised help' in the United States
assault on Coyoutele, Nicaragua, in
1912. In the occupation of Vera Cruz,
Mexico, in 1914, and against the
hostile cacos in Haiti in 1915. He
was awarded the Haitian dis
tinguished service medal once and
twice won the Haitian medaille
militaire for his services with the
native gendarmerie.
Other decorations include the
Nicaraguan campaign medal (1912),
Marine Corps expeditionary medal
with two stars, Mexican service
medal, victory medal, Haitian cam
paign medal bar and the Yanctze
service medal.
Was New River Commander,
That may sound like a mess of
medals, but Gen. Vandergrift also
sounds like what they all call him.
"a fightin' marine" He was COM
manding offlcer of the marine de-
tachment at the American Embassy.
Peiping, China, 1935-37. He was
second in command when Gen.
Denig was chief of staff Of the fleet
marine force, 1885.
Before he was named to lead the
marines against the Nipponese he
was assistant to the major general
commandant at the Marine Corps
headquarters here and Just before
leaving took command of the First
Marine Division Infantry at New
River, N. C.
Gen. Denig says he was good
shipmate" while they were at sea
three years. Gen. Vandegrift was
only a colonel then, and the gen.
eral couldn't get him into a poker
game or bull session" with the
other officers celebrated for story
telling.
Gen. vandegrift, Gen. Denig says,
was "all business" always study
ing, mapping simulated campaigns
and-in leisure talking
about the time he would retire and
go back to his mountains to eat
hog meat and hominy.'
Then Gen. Denig adds:
I never saw a Marine like him
Tor strategy, cunning and just plain
cussedness in make-believe land
ings on all the islands of the Pa
And, after the grim practice,
Archie wanted to play volley ball!"
Always Disliked Japs..
The general conceded that Gen.
Vandegrift bested him at the game
and then went to his quarters to
work out new plans of attack if the
United States ever had to fight the
Japanese, who, incidentally, Gen.
Denig says, Vandegrift always mis-
trusted and disliked with an ardor
Few fellow officers understood at
that time.
"Midgie" says the general has
written to her, saying he is mighty
glad TO be where he is, and that his
sentiments are those of all the bows
OF his command. His letters. she
adds, are full Of confidence.
They always give me a lift" she
says, and that goes for our son.
named after his father. who is a
marine major at Quantico and boil
ing over to join his pappy."
Mildred says that when the gen.
eral comes home she won't fuss at
MN any more for slipping away
from the house guests to bury him
self in periodicals. She says he
likes company and that he has
most fortunate temperament, but
he still reads and reads" =.
After the war" she says, hell
never be anything but a marine
who came down out of the noun
tains-and we'll 60 back and climb
the hills, and I'll listen to him sing.
not too good, From the Halls of
Montezuma to the Shores of Trip
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