James M . Masters , Sr . James Marvin Masters , Sr . ( June 11 , 1911 – August 5 , 1988 ) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who during the course of his career served as a China Marine , fought in numerous battles in the Pacific during World War II and commanded units from platoon to division size . He received the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle of Okinawa and was also a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal during a military career that spanned the 35 years between 1933 and 1968 . He died at his home in Washington , D . C . on 5 August 1988 . Early life & education . James Marvin Masters ( who was designated ' Sr . ' after his namesake father died in 1936 ) was born 16 June 1911 , in Atlanta , Georgia . When he was 12 years old , his grandfather ( a one - time Confederate soldier in the 15th South Carolina Infantry Regiment ) died , and his father moved his wife ( Cecilia Hale Masters ) and three sons back to the family farm in Anderson , South Carolina . There , James would frequently hunt his family ' s dinner . Masters completed high school at Anderson in 1927 at age 16 , delivering the valedictory speech when he was still only 16 , saying , " If we fail to prepare for our role in society , we play falsely with our God , our country , and with the inner man , our conscience . " Though he had appointments to both the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy upon high school graduation , his father thought Masters too young to enter immediately , and insisted that his son attend The Citadel for a year . A cousin , a Naval Academy graduate , encouraged him to attend Annapolis instead of West Point , which he did in 1929 . His appointment before the Wall Street Crash of 1929 spared him from the business loss his father incurred . During his battleship cruise to the Azores , Halifax , and Bermuda in 1932 , Masters opted for the Marine Corps , observing " . . . that really made up my mind , because I ’ d read so much about Marine camaraderie . And I ’ d also observed it within Marine detachments on board ship , the close relationship between officers and men . " He found a role model in Commandant of the Marine Corps John A . Lejeune , who had retired that year . Due to the Great Depression , the Academy could only fund commissions for half of the graduating class in 1933 , Masters included . Marine Corps Career . Early career . Masters was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 1 June 1933 , then reported to The Basic School at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard . The financial difficulties of the time reached him even there . One of Masters ' s instructors , Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle , Sr . ( nicknamed " Bayonet Tony " ) took the young Marine under his wing to teach him in close combat . He graduated in May 1934 in the smallest - ever class : 20 academy graduates and one mustang . Masters was then assigned to the Marine Detachment aboard the . Captained by John W . Reeves , Jr . at the time , the ship was the flagship of the Pacific Fleet , and Masters was soon qualified as a watch officer In July 1935 , he joined the 1st Marine Brigade at Marine Corps Base Quantico . Thanks to the expiration of the then - mandatory marriage waiting - period ( for two years after graduation ) , Masters was free to marry his sweetheart Dorice " Dottie " Mary Kengla , who was the sister of his Naval Academy classmate and also newly - commissioned 2nd Lt . William A . Kengla , on 14 September 1935 . James and Dottie maintained a friendship with Tony Biddle and his wife , Cordelia . In 1937 , Biddle wrote a combat manual entitled " Do or Die " , noting in the dedication : " During the period of his service as instructor , the writer enjoyed the able assistance of Lieutenant James M . Masters , USMC , and Lieutenant William A . Kengla USMC . The two latter named gentlemen were formerly pupils of the writer in Individual Combat at the United States Marine Corps Basic School for Officers : they are both fine swordsmen . Being of inventive genius , Lieutenants Masters and Kengla devised several excellent new forms of attack and defense , as shown in this treatise . " Biddle ' s bayonet techniques can still be seen in skills taught in recruit training today . After the Fleet Landing Exercises , which saw the landing 1st Battalion 5th Marines at Culebra , Puerto Rico during January to May 1936 , Masters became Personnel , Intelligence , and Communications Officer for the 1st Battalion , 1st Marine Brigade . He was promoted to first lieutenant in July 1936 . In August of that year , Masters assumed duties in the Headquarters Company , and began to express his desire to grow in leadership . In December , he became an aide - de - camp to Brigadier General James J . Meade , the brigade commander . China . In February 1937 , Masters and his wife departed from the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles on the liner SS " President Polk " for Shanghai , a trip he shared with First Lieutenant Victor H . Krulak , Lieutenant Colonel William H . Rupertus , and their wives . Because Dorice and Rupertus ' s wife Alice had gone to school together , James earned his senior ' s trust and was offered a position in the elder ' s future command : 1st Battalion 4th Marines . In 1937 , Charles F . B . Price commanded the Regiment in China ; Price ’ s wife Dolly was godmother to Dorice , and this connection got Masters a prime assignment . He worked for LtCol Francis I . Fenton in the regiment ' s deputy Athletic Officer and Club Officer , and became editor for the regiment ' s newsweekly magazine , the " Walla Walla " , purportedly meaning " much talk " in Chinese . Masters and his wife enjoyed an active social life through the Spring and early Summer – in the company of other Marines and members of the English - speaking community in Shanghai . But , the lively social scene unraveled on 7 July 1937 , when the Marco Polo Bridge Incident signaled the beginning of the Second Sino - Japanese War . In mid - August 1937 , the Chinese attempted a bombing raid on the Japanese Fleet . The raid was ineffectual , a few bombs even strayed into the Shanghai International Settlement , killing civilians . But it gave Masters his first ‘ taste ’ of combat , and he soon arranged to be given a command : a platoon and later Company F , under 2nd Battalion commander Roswell Winans . Despite being stationed in the Suzhou Creek , his platoon never directly engaged Japan ese troops , but witnessed the Defense of Sihang Warehouse . After defending Americans from Japanese harassment until September 1938 , he was temporarily assigned to the , in Shanghai port to supervise the security during loading of the gold and silver bullion that belonged to Chase Bank . On 16 August 1939 , Dorice gave birth to a son , James Jr . , who earned the nickname " Champ " after a slightly - inebriated suggestion from Bruno Hochmuth . The following month , Masters Sr . was promoted to captain . Interim . In November , he returned to the United States , and was assigned to Marine Barracks , Washington , D . C . , again under William Rupertus until June 1940 . In March 1940 , he became a company commander in the Marine Guard detachment at President Franklin D . Roosevelt ' s personal retreat at Warm Springs , Georgia , under the command of LtCol Charles T . Brooks , and became close to the president during an extended retreat . At one point , the guards performed silent exhibition drill for the president and patients at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation . In June 1940 , Masters served briefly again at MCB Quantico during the Officer Candidates School ' s Platoon Leaders Course . In September , he was assigned to Marine Corps Base , Parris Island in South Carolina , as a battery commanding officer with the 4th Defense Battalion . He and his family were transferred with the battalion to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba in February 1941 . In November , they embarked on board the with the battalion for Pearl Harbor , Hawaii - – the week before the surprise attack there . World War II . The Masters family arrived in Pearl Harbor on 1 December 1941 . As the air attack raged on the Sunday morning of December 7 , James was slowed by gawking sight - seers on the road to Pearl , and couldn ' t make it to his post until the attack was over . President Roosevelt declared war the next day , and Masters embarked aboard the en route to and in command of the first reinforcements for Johnston Island on Christmas Day , not to see his family again for more than two years . Masters would remain at Johnston Island until November 1942 , receiving a Bronze Star for his service there , as well as a promotion to major in May . Shortly after Masters ' promotion , Admiral Chester W . Nimitz paid a visit to Johnston , boosting morale . Masters then returned to Pearl Harbor to join the 10th Defense Battalion in November 1942 . Later , as executive officer of the battalion , attached to the I Marine Amphibious Corps , he served in the Solomon and Russell Islands . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 1943 . In August of that year , he commanded 2nd Battalion 1st Marines briefly in Australia prior to bringing the unit into combat again from December 1943 to February 1944 at the Battle of Cape Gloucester , again under the command of Rupertus , now the Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division . New Britain . The Battle of Cape Gloucester was part of the larger New Britain campaign , named Operation Dexterity , in turn part of Operation Cartwheel of the Solomon Islands and New Guinea campaigns . While at Finschhafen preparing for the Cape Gloucester landings , General Douglas MacArthur inquired of Masters , " Young man , are you ready for this operation ? " He replied , " More important , General , my troops are ready , " which drew a grin from MacArthur . Masters ' two - fold trail blocking mission was defensive in nature . Firstly , after landing at Green Beach ( southwest of what is today Cape Gloucester Airport , near the western side of Mount Talawe ) , his battalion ( code - named Stoneface Group ) was to block attempts by enemy troops to retreat in a south - westerly direction from the main Japanese force at the airdrome . Secondly , in case the battle to capture the two airstrips was protracted , his command was to prevent Japanese reinforcements from the south . Once the airdrome was under Marine control , 2nd Battalion was to rejoin its regiment and link up with the rest of the 1st Division . On D - Day , the morning of 26 December 1943 , the first wave of Landing Craft Mechanized landed as planned on Green beach . The landing was unopposed , and even after the Marines were ashore , no enemy resistance was encountered . By nightfall Stoneface Group had met all of its defensive position objectives and began patrolling vigorously inland to locate enemy troops . Except for a communication barrier due to mountainous terrain that made contact with division headquarters tedious , the first two days were without major incident , just a few skirmishes . As daylight faded on 29 December , the volume of Japanese fire from the jungle began to increase , signaling an imminent attack against Stoneface defenses . At about 2 AM the next morning , the Japanese made a Banzai charge , which cost the Marines 6 men killed at the point of attack . For a few moments , enemy troops occupied part of Stoneface Group ' s front lines , but were repulsed when Gunnery Sergeant Guiseppe Guilano Jr . stepped into the breach with a light machine gun . A second Japanese assault nearly overran Marine positions , but again it was beaten back , with Guilano ( wounded seven times during the night ) at the forefront . After the second failed assault , two further dispirited banzai attacks were stopped cold . As dawn broke , a casualty count found 6 Marines killed with 13 wounded , while enemy losses were counted by a burial detachment at 256 at the front lines ( though another source indicates " at least 89 enemy dead , " ) . Five prisoners were captured , including a Japanese officer who spoke English . When MacArthur learned of the captured officer , he sent a PT boat to deliver the prisoner to Finschhafen for interrogation . Later , MacArthur sent a congratulatory dispatch indicating that the prisoner was the first Japanese officer of the war to be captured alive . Masters recommended Guilano for the Medal of Honor for his heroics , but it was downgraded by Rupertus to a Navy Cross . Once the entire airdrome was firmly in Marine hands , General Rupertus raised the American flag there and dispatched the news to General Walter Krueger . No longer in need of the trail block west of Mount Talawe , General Rupertus ordered Masters to secure his battalion and rejoin the Division . After securing its wounded , equipment , and supplies , 2nd Battalion made a march from Green Beach into the Division lines at the airdrome , at which point the Stoneface Group was disbanded on 12 January 1944 . After a couple of days to rest , and attempts to dry out the " jungle rot " between rain squalls , Masters and his battalion were reassigned to the 7th Marine Regiment , commanded by Julian ' Bull ' Frisbie . When Masters reported , he was met by executive officer LtCol Lewis " Chesty " Puller , with whom he had served in China . Puller took the opportunity to indulge in some combat humor at the expense of Masters ( the junior officer ) by belittling the 2nd Battalion ' s ' little fight ' at the hands of the Banzai charging Japanese troops at Mt . Talawe . For his actions on Cape Gloucester , Masters was awarded the Legion of Merit , somewhat unusual for a combat commander to receive , in place of the Silver Star . After 37 consecutive months overseas , he returned to the United States in March 1944 for duty at Headquarters Marine Corps with the Division of Plans and Policies , G - 3 . Upon seeing him for the first time in more than two years , his now - nearly five - year - old son didn ' t know who he was . In September , Masters detached for duty at Pearl Harbor , and on Guam , Saipan , and Tinian . Okinawa . In November 1944 , Masters was transferred to the 7th Marine Regiment and began serving as executive officer at Pavuvu . From April to June 1945 , he fought in the Battle of Okinawa , where he earned the Navy Cross for manning a vital observation post under heavy attack during the assault on Dakeshi Ridge . Post - war . Masters returned to China in October 1945 as the Assistant Chief of Staff , G - 2 for 1st Marine Division at Tientsin until he returned to the United States in March 1946 . He was again assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps where , in May 1946 , he began a two - year assignment in the Inspection Division . In May 1948 , he was ordered to the Marine Corps Schools , Quantico , serving as executive officer , and later , commanding officer of the Basic School . He was promoted to colonel in August 1949 . In September 1950 , he was transferred to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina , to assume command of the 8th Marine Regiment , 2nd Marine Division for 18 months . He attended the National War College from August 1952 to June 1953 , then became a member of the Joint Strategic Plans Group , for the Joint Chiefs of Staff , for two years . In August 1955 , Masters took command of the 4th Marine Regiment , 3rd Marine Division , at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay , Hawaii until he was named Fleet Marine Force , Pacific Liaison Officer to the Commander in Chief , Pacific Fleet in June 1956 . While serving in this capacity , he was promoted to brigadier general in July 1957 . He returned to Headquarters Marine Corps as Assistant Chief of Staff , G - 2 in September 1957 . He was assigned additional duty as Inspector General of the Marine Corps in June 1960 , and was promoted to major general the following month . He continued in the post until July 1961 . Masters assumed command of 1st Marine Division at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , California , on 31 July 1961 , until June 1962 , when he became the commanding general of the base . He returned to Okinawa in May 1963 to command 3rd Marine Division . He then commanded Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island from 19 June 1964 to 15 June 1966 . Promoted to lieutenant general on 1 July 1966 , he was assigned duty as Commandant , Marine Corps Schools , Quantico . In January 1968 , Marine Corps Schools was redesignated Marine Corps Development and Education Command , and Masters ' s title was changed to " Commanding General " . Masters was presented the Navy Distinguished Service Medal by Commandant Leonard F . Chapman , Jr . during his retirement ceremony at Quantico , 28 June 1968 . He died at his home in Washington , D . C . on 5 August 1988 . Awards & honors . A complete list of his medals and decorations includes : Navy Cross citation . The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross to James M . MastersLieutenant ColonelU . S . Marine Corps for service as set forth in the following citation : For extraordinary heroism as Executive Officer of the Seventh Marines , First Marine Division , in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Dakeshi Ridge , Okinawa , Ryukyu Islands , from 10 to 12 May 1945 . On 10 May , when the advance of the Regiment was checked by a strong hostile force , Lieutenant Colonel Masters unhesitatingly went forward of the front lines on reconnaissance and obtained information concerning the Japanese and unfamiliar terrain which enabled a successful attack to be made the following day . On 11 May , he established an advanced observation post in the only possible position on the front lines from which the attack that day could be observed and directed and , despite unusually heavy casualties at the post from intense enemy mortar and small - arms fire , continued to man it and report information vital to the capture of desperately defended Dakeshi Ridge , Moving the observation post forward again on 12 May , he advanced under intense hostile fire to the Ridge before that ground had been completely seized by assault troops and , although the Japanese continued to inflict heavy casualties on his force , persevered in his mission to observe the enemy and terrain , thus securing information which aided materially in the formulation of successful plans for continuing the attack . His inspiring leadership , courage and unremitting devotion to duty throughout were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service .