Gerald C . Thomas Gerald Carthrae Thomas ( October 29 , 1894 – April 7 , 1984 ) was a United States Marine Corps general who served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps . He retired from the Marine Corps in 1956 with more 38 years of distinguished service which included duty on four continents , spanning two World Wars , Haiti and the Korean War . During World War I , he fought in major offensives , including the Battle of Belleau Wood , and was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart . Biography . Gerald Carthrae Thomas was born on October 29 , 1894 in Slater , Missouri . Thomas was attending Illinois Wesleyan University at he start of World War I . When the U . S . entered the war and a call was made for men , Gerald , then a sophomore , enlisted for military service . He was awarded a degree of Doctor of Laws by his alma mater on February 10 , 1954 . Marine Corps service . Gerald enlisted in the Marine Corps on May 28 , 1917 . He completed boot camp at Parris Island and then joined the 1st Battalion 6th Marines World War I . Sailing for France in September 1917 , Thomas saw action with the 6th Marines at Verdun , Belleau Wood , Soissons , and in the Meuse - Argonne Offensive ( Champagne ) . He was promoted to sergeant and served as an intelligence sergeant . During the battle in Belleau Wood , he led a squad of Marines and received the Silver Star for bravery . At Soisson , his company sustained heavy losses and he became the acting platoon leader . In September 1918 , he was commissioned a second lieutenant . During his World War I service , in addition to the award of the Silver Star for valor , he was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in battle , and as a member of the 6th Marine Regiment , he became entitled to wear the French Fourragere . After participating in the occupation of Germany , he returned to the United States in July 1919 . Haiti . In November 1919 , he joined the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in Haiti , taking part in action against Haitian bandit forces until May 1921 . In August 1921 , he was assigned to the Marine Barracks at Quantico , where he remained for the next two years . During that time he was detached for several months of duty with the guard company at the Disarmament Conference in Washington . He also completed the Company Officers Course at the Marine Corps Schools . 1920s - 1930s . From November 1923 to October 1925 , the Thomas commanded the Marine Detachment aboard the . He was then stationed for two years at the Marine Barracks , Navy Yard , Charleston , South Carolina , and for a year at Camp Holabird , Maryland , where he completed a course in the Army Motor Transport School . In December 1928 , after serving as Officer - in - Charge of Land Transportation at the Marine Barracks , Parris Island , South Carolina , he joined the 1st Brigade Marines in Haiti , and became Aide to the Commanding General . He returned to the United States in June 1931 , entering the Army Infantry School at Fort Benning , Georgia , the following September . Graduating in June 1932 , Thomas was made an instructor in the Basic School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard . He remained there until August 1934 , when he was ordered back to Quantico as a student in the Senior Course . After completing that course , he was ordered to China in July 1935 , for duty with the Marine Detachment at the American Embassy in Peiping . He returned to the United States two years later to attend the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , and after graduating in June 1938 , he joined the staff of the Marine Corps Schools at Quantico . World War II . In May 1941 , Thomas was transferred to Cairo , Egypt , as a naval observer , but he was recalled to Quantico two months later to become Assistant Operations Officer of the 1st Marine Division . Named Operations Officer of the division in March 1942 , he sailed for the South Pacific in that capacity two months later . He was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his efforts in the assault and capture of Guadalcanal and Tulagi . He was appointed Chief of Staff of the division in September 1942 , at Guadalcanal , and in July 1943 , he became Chief of Staff of the 1st Marine Amphibious Corps , where he was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat " V " in the Treasury - Bougainville operation . After participating in the Empress Augusta Bay operation at Bougainville , he returned to Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington , D . C . , where he was made Director of Plans and Policies in January 1944 and awarded a second Legion of Merit for outstanding service from January 1944 to November 1946 . Korean War . In July 1947 , Thomas was named Commanding General of Fleet Marine Force , Western Pacific . After that unit was disbanded in March 1949 , he became Chief of Staff of the Marine Corps Equipment Board at Quantico , later serving there as Commanding General of the Landing Force Development Center . He took command of the 1st Marine Division during the Korean War in April 1951 , where he earned the Army Distinguished Service Cross and Army Distinguished Service Medal . He served in that capacity until January 1952 , when he returned to the United States . The following month he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and designated by President Truman as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps . He served in that billet until June 1954 , and the following month became Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools , Quantico . Retirement , death . He retired from the Marine Corps and was promoted to the rank of General on January 1 , 1956 . General Thomas died on April 7 , 1984 at his home in Washington , D . C . He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery . Awards and decorations . General Thomas ' medals and decorations include :