Julian C . Smith Julian Constable Smith ( September 11 , 1885 – November 5 , 1975 ) was a United States Marine Corps general who served for 37 years , including service in Nicaragua ( Navy Cross ) and during World War II ' s Battle of Tarawa ( Distinguished Service Medal ) . Biography . Smith was born in Elkton , Maryland , on 11 September 1885 , and graduated from the University of Delaware . He received his appointment as a Second Lieutenant in January 1909 , and underwent his basic training as a Marine officer at the Marine Barracks , Port Royal , South Carolina . Following his promotion to First Lieutenant in September 1912 , he was ordered to the Marine Barracks at the Philadelphia Navy Yard , and in December of the following year , he was transferred to Panama , remaining there until January 1914 . As a member of an expeditionary force , he departed from Panama to take part in the occupation of Vera Cruz , Mexico , from April to December 1914 . Upon returning to the United States , he again was ordered to Philadelphia , this time as a member of the 1st Brigade of Marines . In August 1915 , he began a tour of expeditionary duty in Haiti , and in April 1916 , was transferred to Santo Domingo with the 2nd Battalion , 1st Regiment , 1st Brigade . In December of the same year , he was ordered back to the Philadelphia Navy Yard , this time , to serve with the Advanced Base Force there . Following his promotion to Captain in March 1917 , the general was ordered to a course of instruction at the Naval War College in Newport , Rhode Island , and several months later he was assigned to Quantico , Virginia , as an instructor in the Marine Officers ' Training Camps . In the early part of 1919 , he sailed for Cuba in command of a machine gun battalion . After his service there , he returned to the Navy Yard at Philadelphia , and a short time later was transferred to Headquarters Marine Corps , Washington , D . C . . In August 1920 , General Smith again assumed duties at Quantico , and in July of the following year , he was ordered to sea duty on the staff of the Commander , Scouting Fleet . Two years later , he again returned to Washington , this time to serve in the office of the Chief Coordinator , Bureau of the Budget . He left Washington to enter the Army Command and General Staff School , Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , and after graduation in 1928 , was again ordered to Marine Corps Headquarters . He captained the Marine Corps Rifle and Pistol Team Squad , for the year of 1928 , while detached to temporary duty at Quantico , and also headed the 1930 squad . The general ' s next assignment was with the Marines at Corinto , Nicaragua , where he began a three - year tour of expeditionary duty in August 1930 . Following that , he returned to Quantico , where he was appointed to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel . Then , after another short tour of duty in Philadelphia , he returned to Marine Corps Headquarters for duty with the Division of Operations and Training . With his promotion to Colonel , he was named Director of Personnel . In June 1938 , General Smith became Commanding Officer , 5th Marines , 1st Marine Brigade , at Quantico , where he remained until his promotion to Brigadier General . He was then ordered to London , where he served with the Naval Attache , American Embassy , as a Naval Observer . He returned to the United States in August 1941 , and again reported to Quantico . Upon appointment to Major General in October 1942 , he assumed command of the Fleet Marine Force Training Schools at New River , North Carolina . He took command of the 2nd Marine Division in May 1943 and led the Division during the assault on Tarawa . He remained in this capacity until April of the following year , when he was named Commanding General , Expeditionary Troops , Third Fleet . In December 1944 , General Smith took command of the Department of the Pacific , with headquarters in San Francisco , California . From there , he was ordered to Parris Island , South Carolina , where he commanded the Marine Corps Recruit Depot from February 1946 , until his retirement . After his death in November 1975 , General Smith was buried in Arlington National Cemetery . Awards & honors . The general ' s decorations and medals include :