Alfred H . Noble General Alfred Houston Noble ( October 26 , 1894 – September 27 , 1983 ) was a United States Marine Corps general served in combat with the Marines from World War I in the Battle of Belleau Wood to World War II in the Pacific theater . His last command , before retiring from the Marine Corps with over 39 years of service , was as Commanding General , Fleet Marine Force , Atlantic in Norfolk , Virginia . Biography . Alfred Noble was born on October 26 , 1894 , at Federalsburg , Maryland . After graduation from St . John ' s College , at Annapolis , he reported for active duty as a Marine second lieutenant on May 24 , 1917 , and embarked for France that October . World War I . During World War I , Noble fought as commander of the 83rd Company , 6th Marine Regiment , in the Aisne - Marne Defensive , ( Chateau Thierry ) , the Aisne - Marne Offensive ( Soissons ) , the St . Mihiel Offensive and the Meuse - Argonne Offensive ( Champagne and Argonne Forest ) . He was awarded the Navy Cross , the Distinguished Service Cross , the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Croix de Guerre with silver star and diploma . In addition he was cited twice in General Orders of the War Department and once by the Commanding General , AEF . He was also entitled to wear the French Fourragere which was awarded the 6th Marines . Noble ' s Navy Cross was for gallantry in action from 6 - June 8 , 1918 , during the battle of Belleau Wood . The citation states in part : " … He was conspicuous for his judgment and personal courage in handling his company in attacks against superior numbers in strongly fortified machine - gun positions . His fortitude and initiative enabled his command each time to achieve success . " By the end of World War I , he had risen to the rank of captain . Interwar years . After the war , he served in the Army of Occupation in Germany until returned to the United States in July 1919 . In September 1919 , Noble went overseas again to serve at the Marine Barracks , St . Thomas , Virgin , Islands , until June 1922 . After that , he completed the Company Officers Course in the Marine Corps Schools at Quantico , Virginia , then served there as adjutant and secretary of the schools and as Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Schools Detachment . He left Quantico in June 1927 , and the following month , began a two - year command of the Marine Detachment aboard the serving with that detachment on expeditionary duty in Nicaragua . He returned to Quantico in July 1929 , and during the next three years , he completed the Field Officers Course and served as an instructor in that course . From July 1932 , until August 1934 , Noble served with the 1st Brigade Marines in Haiti . He was stationed in the Adjutant and Inspectors ' Department at Marine Corps Headquarters , Washington , D . C . , from September 1934 to May 1937 , then was ordered once more to Quantico . There , after serving as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools and as a battalion commander with the 5th Marines , he took command of that regiment . He served in that capacity at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , and elsewhere in the Caribbean during training and maneuvers before he was again ordered to Marine Corps Headquarters in May 1941 . This time he served with the Division of Plans and Policies as Officer in Charge of the Material Section , and later , as Director , Division of Plans and Policies . He was a colonel when the United States entered World War II . World War II . Nobel was twice awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat " V " , in World War II . The first was for outstanding service from September to December 1943 , as Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of I Marine Amphibious Corps during the Treasury Islands occupation , the diversionary landing on Choiseul Island and the establishment of the beachhead at Empress Augustas Bay , Bougainville . The second was for outstanding service from May to August 1944 , as assistant commander of the 3rd Marine Division during the planning and execution of the recapture of Guam . In September 1942 , the general was named Chief of Staff of the newly activated 3rd Marine Division . He served in that capacity for a year , sailing with the division for the Pacific theater in February 1943 . He remained overseas as Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of I Marine Amphibious Corps from September to December 1943 , and as Assistant Commander of the 3rd Division from January to October 1944 . Returning to the United States in November 1944 , he served as Commanding General of the Marine Training Command at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina until January 1946 . Post - World War II service . In February 1946 , Noble reported to Pearl Harbor as Commanding General of the Marine Garrison Forces , 14th Naval District . He was ordered from Pearl Harbor to Tientsin , China , in August 1946 , and after serving there for several months as Assistant Commander of the 1st Marine Division , he returned to the United States to take command of the Troop Training Unit , Amphibious Forces , Pacific Fleet , at Coronado , California . From there , he reported to Parris Island , South Carolina , in February 1948 , as Commanding General , Marine Corps Recruit Depot . He served in that capacity until August 1950 , for the next year as Commanding General of the Marine Barracks at Camp Pendleton , California , and for the following year as Commanding General of the Department of the Pacific at San Francisco . Ordered to the Netherlands in August 1952 , Noble served in that country for two years prior to assuming command of the Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune in September 1954 . He was transferred to Norfolk , Virginia , as Commanding General , Fleet Marine Force Atlantic , on September 1 , 1955 , and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on the same date . He served in that capacity until November 1 , 1956 , when he retired after 39 years of service and was promoted to four - star general .