Frederick J . Karch Brigadier General Frederick Joseph Karch ( August 9 , 1917 - May 23 , 2009 ) was United States Marine Corps officer who served during World War II and the Vietnam War , particularly notable in the latter for leading the Marine Corps onto Nam O Beach at the beginning of large scale US involvement in Vietnam . Biography . Early life . Karch was born in Carmi in the state of Illinois , son of Carmi Township High School principal Henry J . Karch and his wife Flora Clark Karch . In 1935 he graduated from Carmi Township High School and went on to study at the University of Illinois . Enlistment and World War II . After one year at the University of Illinois , where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity , Karch transferred to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis , Maryland . Upon graduation in June 1940 , he was commissioned as a United States Marine Corps Second lieutenant . At Philadelphia Navy Yard , Lieutenant Karch completed Basic Training and was sent to San Diego as a battery officer in the 10th Marine Regiment . In 1941 , while Karch was stationed in Iceland , America was brought into World War II by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . During the war , Karch rose through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel in a series of promotions in March 1942 , May 1942 , May 1943 and May 1945 . In July 1942 , Karch joined the 12th Marines , 3rd Marine Division as a battalion executive officer . From February until September 1943 he served as Commanding Officer , 1st Battalion , 14th Marines , and served for the remainder of the war as Operations Officer of the 14th Marines . Karch was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star during the Roi - Namur , Saipan , Tinian , and Iwo Jima campaigns . Inter - war period . From January 1946 until July 1947 , the now Lieutenant Colonel Karch was the Chairman of the Board of Review , Discharges and Dismissals in the Navy Department in Washington , D . C . . He then became an artillery instructor at Quantico ' s Marine Corps Schools until September 1949 , where he became a member of the directing staff at the Canadian Army Staff College . Transferred to the 10th Marines , 2nd Marine Division in December 1951 , having left the directing staff in November , he commanded the 4th Battalion . In June 1952 , he became Regimental Executive Officer and from June until December 1953 , he served as Personnel Assistant to the Division , whereupon he was sent to the Joint Landing Force Board at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . In March 1955 , he was sent to Tokyo under the Far East Command as the Chief of Intelligence Plans Section , where he was promoted to Colonel and awarded the Army Commendation Medal . The Colonel then completed the Senior Course at the Quantico Marine Corps Schools in June 1958 , whereupon he was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division as Regiment al Commander of the 10th Marines as well as the Assistant Chief of Staff until July 1961 . Karch graduated from the Army War College in June of the following year and was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps as Executive Officer and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff . In 1963 , he received a Master ' s Degree from George Washington University and in 1964 he was promoted to Brigadier General . Vietnam . Brigadier General Frederick Karch was then sent to Okinawa in November 1964 as Assistant Division Commander to the 3rd Division . In February of the following year , he was sent to Vietnam as Commanding General of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade where he directed the Marine landing on Nam O Beach , a very public display of American intentions in Vietnam which was the idea of President Lyndon Johnson . For his efforts , he was awarded a second Legion of Merit . The storming of Nam O Beach took place on the 8 March 1965 on the coastline around the port of Da Nang in South Vietnam . In the few days preceding the landing , Karch commented that the weather was the worst that he had experienced . When inhabitants of the friendly beach greeted the arriving Marines and photographs were taken , Karch was never seen to smile . When this was queried , he replied " . . . if I had to do it over , that picture would have been the same . When you have a son in Vietnam and he gets killed , you don ' t want a smiling general with flowers around his neck as leader at that point . " December 1965 saw Karch report back to the Marine Corps Schools , Quantico , as Director , Command and Staff College until June 1967 when he retired from active duty . For his final role at Quantico , he was awarded his third Legion of Merit . Awards and decorations . Among Karch ' s military decorations are the following :