Lemuel C . Shepherd , Jr . Lemuel Cornick Shepherd , Jr . ( February 10 , 1896 – August 6 , 1990 ) was a four - star general of the United States Marine Corps . A veteran of World War I , World War II , and the Korean War , he was the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps . As Commandant , he secured a place on the Joint Chiefs of Staff , gaining parity for the Marine Corps with the other military services . Early years . Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr . was born February 10 , 1896 in Norfolk , Virginia . He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1917 , graduating a year early so he could enter the Marine Corps . While at VMI , Shepherd became a member of the Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Order . He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on April 11 , 1917 and reported for active duty at the Marine Barracks , Port Royal , South Carolina , on May 19 , 1917 . World War I . Less than a year after reporting for duty , 2nd Lt . Shepherd sailed for France as a member of the 5th Marine Regiment with the first elements of the American Expeditionary Forces . He served in defensive sectors in the vicinity of Verdun and participated in the Aisne - Marne offensive ( Château - Thierry ) where he was twice wounded in action at Belleau Wood during the fighting there in June 1918 . He returned to the front in August , rejoining the 5th Marines and saw action in the St . Mihiel and Meuse - Argonne offensive s ( Champagne ) where he was wounded for the third time , shot through the neck by a machine gun . For his gallantry in action at Belleau Wood , Lieutenant Shepherd was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Cross , the Navy Cross , the French Croix de guerre , and was cited in the general orders of the 2nd Infantry Division , American Expeditionary Forces . After duty with the Army of Occupation in Germany , Capt . Shepherd sailed for home in July 1919 . In September 1919 he returned to France . His assignment was to prepare relief maps showing the battlefields over which the US 4th Marine Brigade had fought . Between the wars . Shepherd returned to the States in December 1920 , and was assigned as White House aide and Aide - de - Camp to the Commandant of the Marine Corps , Major General John A . Lejeune . In July 1922 , he took command of a selected company of Marines at the Brazil ' s Centennial Exposition in Rio de Janeiro . In June 1923 , Shepherd was ordered to sea duty as Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment on the . This tour was followed by duty at the Marine Barracks , Norfolk , where he commanded the Sea School . In April 1927 , Shepherd sailed for expeditionary duty in China , where he served in the 3rd Marine Brigade in Tientsin and Shanghai . Shepherd returned to the United States in 1929 , and entered the Naval War College at Newport , Rhode Island . Following graduation in May 1937 , he commanded the 2nd Battalion , 5th Marine Regiment , part of the newly formed Fleet Marine Force ( FMF ) , Atlantic , which was being extensively employed in the development of amphibious tactics and techniques . In June 1939 , he was ordered to the Staff of Marine Corps Schools , Quantico , Virginia , where he served during the next three years as Director , Correspondence School ; Chief of the Tactical Section ; Officer in Charge of the Candidates Class ; and Assistant Commandant . World War II . In March 1942 , four months after the United States entry into World War II , Colonel Shepherd took command of the 9th Marine Regiment . He organized , trained , and took the unit overseas as part of the 3rd Marine Division . Upon promotion to Brigadier general in July 1943 , he served on Guadalcanal . Brigadier General Shepherd was assigned as Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Marine Division . In this capacity , he participated in the Cape Gloucester operation on New Britain from December 1943 through March 1944 , where he was awarded a Legion of Merit for distinguished service in command of operations in the Borgan Bay area . In May 1944 , Shepherd assumed command of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and led them in the invasion and subsequent recapture of Guam during July and August 1944 . For distinguished leadership in this operation , Shepherd received his first Distinguished Service Medal and was promoted to Major General . After organizing the 6th Marine Division from the Brigade , Shepherd commanded it throughout the Battle of Okinawa and subsequently took the Division to Tsingtao , China . There , October 25 , 1945 , he received the surrender of the Japanese forces in this area . For exceptionally meritorious service as Commanding General of the 6th Marine Division in the assault and occupation of Okinawa ( April 1 to June 21 , 1945 ) he was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal . 1946 – 1956 . Several months later , Shepherd returned to the United States and in March 1946 , organized the Troop Training Command , Amphibious Forces , Atlantic Fleet , at NAB Little Creek , Virginia . On November 1 of the same year , he was ordered to duty as Assistant to the Commandant Marine Corps Headquarters . He remained at this post until April 1948 , when he was assigned to Quantico where he served as Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools until June 1950 . When the Korean War erupted , Shepherd was in command of the Fleet Marine Force ( FMF ) , Pacific , with Headquarters at Pearl Harbor . In this capacity , he played a major role in the amphibious assault at Inchon and the evacuation of U . S . forces from Hungnam following their withdrawal from the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea in December 1950 . On January 1 , 1952 , President Harry S . Truman appointed Shepherd Commandant of the Marine Corps ( CMC ) . During Shepherd ' s four - year appointment as the Commandant of the Marine Corps , he initiated a number of important policies that resulted in increased military proficiency for the Corps . He was the first Commandant to become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , and upon his retirement on January 1 , 1956 , he was awarded a third Distinguished Service Medal . 1956 – 1990 . Two months after his retirement , Shepherd was recalled to active duty and appointed Chairman of the Inter - American Defense Board . During his three and a half years of service with this international organization , Shepherd , through his leadership and diplomacy , made substantial contributions towards plans for the defense of the continent . He also promoted military solidarity among the military forces of the republics of the Western Hemisphere . He relinquished his duties with the Inter - American Defense Board on September 15 , 1959 . Shepherd died on August 6 , 1990 at his home in La Jolla , California , from bone cancer . He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery . Awards and decorations . Shepherd was the recipient of the following awards :