Dion Williams Brigadier General Dion Williams ( December 15 , 1869 – December 11 , 1952 ) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps . He was the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from August 1 , 1925 — July 1 , 1928 . During his early career , Williams pioneered the first conceptual study of amphibious reconnaissance in the United States and becoming one of the strongest advocates in having the Marine Corps assume the amphibious , expeditionary role . During his career , he fought guerrillas in the Philippines and Dominican Republic during the Spanish – American War . Williams is credited in the persuasion of Admiral Dewey in 1907 to assert Congress that " a force of 5 , 000 Marines with a Fleet " would have ensued the Philippine – American War following the Spanish defeat . This ' force ' was the first of the doctrinal sequence of the establishment of the Advanced Base Force , its titulage American Expeditionary Force and subsequently its modern namesake , Fleet Marine Force . Williams retired from the Marine Corps in 1934 , spending the rest of his life in Maryland . Biography . Dion Williams was born in Williamsburg , Ohio on December 15 , 1869 . He graduated from the United States Naval Academy where he received his early education until entering the Naval Academy and graduated on June 30 , 1891 . After completing the required 2 - year sea duty aboard the USS " Atlanta " as a midshipman for two years , he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps on July 1 , 1893 and attended the School of Application before he served at the Marine Barracks , New York and the Marine Barracks , Mare Island until 1897 . He was married to Helen Mar Ames on February 20 , 1895 . He participated in the Battle of Manila Bay while serving aboard the USS " Baltimore " ' on May 1 , 1898 under Admiral George Dewey . Lt . Williams landed a company of Marines at a Spanish naval arsenal yard at Cavite in the Philippine Islands , securing the naval station , and hoisting the first American flag raised over Spanish soil in the Spanish – American War . Williams served duty at Marine Barracks , Charlston before being called out for a minor revolt in Panama 1902 to command a detachment of Marines sent to disarm Colombian troops threatening the Americans . He continued serving two more years in various engagements of the Philippine – American War after which he served as Fleet Marine Officer of the Atlantic Fleet from 1902 - 04 . In March 1905 , Major Williams reported to the Naval War College for two years . By 1906 , Williams wrote a study , " Naval Reconnaissance , Instructions for the Reconnaissance of Bays , Harbors , and Adjacent Country , " which eventually became the first doctrine in United States ' history concerning the pertinent missions of amphibious reconnaissance . He focused primarily on the establishment and employment of an assault force specialized in conducting preassault reconnaissance . Many of the reconnaissance ideas advanced in his studies surpassed and were eventually incorporated in the " Tentative Manual for Landing Operations " developed in 1934 . He was assigned the Fleet Marine Officer of the United States Fleet from 1907 - 09 until after his tour of duty with the staff of the Office of Naval Intelligence from 1909 - 12 . He commanded the American Legation Guard at Peking , China ( 1912 – 15 ) and then became the Marine Corps ' representative to the General Board of the Navy from 1915 – 18 , before being assigned as the commanding officer of 10th Marine Regiment at MCB Quantico where he remained to prepare his regiment for combat duty in France during World War I , 1917 - 18 . Afterwards , Williams became the commanding officer of 2nd Provisional Marine Brigade for pacification duty in the Dominican Republic . Returning to MCB Quantico in 1921 , he assumed command of the 4th Marine Brigade as part of the East Coast Expeditionary Force participating in the ongoing advanced base exercises held by the Navy ' s North Atlantic Fleet on Culebra . During the 1924 Winter Maneuvers , he witnessed the first use of an experimental ' amphibious ' tank being mounted a 75 - mm gun , as well as the " beetle boats " uses as amphibious transports . After his tour of duty with the 4th Brigade ended , Williams became assistant to the Marine Commandant in 1928 . General Williams was in command of the Marine Occupation Force in Nicaragua from April 1929 through 1930 . He became editor of the " Marine Corps Gazette " while he remained on duty at Headquarters Marine Corps until his retirement on January 1 , 1934 . Despite his retirement , Williams remained active , authoring several articles on officer professional education and the curriculum at Marine Corps Schools , and participating in Marine Corps affairs . In January 1942 , he participated in a ceremony at Annapolis , Maryland , where the same flag is now enshrined . It was just after evacuation of the Cavite Naval Base to the Japanese . Williams died on December 11 , 1952 at the age of 82 , a few days before his birthday , after an illness of several months at the Naval Medical Center at nearby Bethesda , Maryland near the District of Columbia . Brigadier General Williams was buried with full military honors on December 15 , 2008 in Arlington National Cemetery ; and was survived by his widow , Helen .