Louis E . Woods Lieutenant General Louis E . Woods ( 7 October 1895 – 20 October 1971 ) , one of the Marine Corps ' outstanding aviators , served as Commanding General , Aircraft , Fleet Marine Force , Atlantic , and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point , North Carolina , prior to his retirement . During World War II , he commanded the Cactus Air Force at Guadalcanal during November and December , 1942 , and later , at Okinawa , was Commanding General , Tactical Air Force , Tenth Army , and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing . For outstanding services rendered in the former named position he was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a third Legion of Merit , and in the second capacity a Distinguished Service Medal . His citation for the latter reads in part , " … Continually exposed to terrific fire from enemy ship and shore batteries , as well as bombing and strafing attacks by hostile aircraft , Brigadier General Woods directed the operations of his forces with such daring skill and tenacious determination that a total of twenty - two Japanese surface craft was sunk and sixth - five planes destroyed . Brigadier General Woods by his dauntless courage and outstanding leadership , contributed in a great measure to the success of our forces in that area . " LtGen Woods retired on 1 July 1951 , after 34 years of Marine Corps service . Biography . Louis Woods was born on 7 October 1895 , in Fredonia , New York . He attended Syracuse University , Syracuse , New York . Woods died on October 20 , 1971 in Washington , D . C . . Marine Corps service . 1917 - 1940 . Woods was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps on 4 April 1917 . Following a course of instruction at the School of Application , Marine Barracks , Norfolk , Virginia , he went to sea duty on board the . In March 1918 , he transferred to the where , except for a short period of four months , he remained until ordered ashore in October 1921 . In June 1922 , after attending the Aviation School , Pensacola , Florida , he was designated a Naval Aviator . For the next two years he was stationed at Marine Air Station Quantico , Virginia , performing duties as a pilot . He was ordered to foreign shore duty in Haiti , where in July 1924 , he joined Observation Squadron Two , First Marine Brigade , at Port - au - Prince as Executive Officer of the squadron . Shortly after his return to the United States in August 1926 , he was ordered to Headquarters Marine Corps , Washington , D . C . , for duty in the Aviation Section of the Major General Commandant ' s Department . Except for a one - year course of instruction at the Air Corps Tactical School , Langley Field , Virginia , he remained at Headquarters until August 1933 , when he was detached to overseas duty in Haiti . There he joined the First Marine Brigade as Executive Officer , Observation Squadron Nine - M , at Port - au - Prince . From August 1934 to June 1937 , he was stationed at the Marine Corps Schools , Quantico , Virginia , first as a student in the Senior Course , and later as Chief of the Aviation Section of the Schools . During the next three years he was Executive Officer , and then Commanding Officer , of the Second Marine Aircraft Group at the Naval Air Station San Diego , California . In June 1940 , he became a student in the Senior Course , Naval War College , Newport , Rhode Island . World War II . Upon graduation in May 1941 , he joined the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing . He accompanied the Wing to the South Pacific in September 1942 , where he participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal as the chief of staff for , then Major General , Roy Geiger . He would become commander of the Cactus Air Force on November 7 , 1942 and lead the men through the lowest point in the campaign until he turned the command over to Brigadier General Francis P . Mulcahy on December 26 , 1942 . He returned to the United States and assumed duties as Director , Division of Aviation , Headquarters , Marine Corps in June 1943 , where he received a Gold Star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit . He went to the war in the Pacific for the second time when he assumed command of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing based in the Marshall - Gilbert Area and was Commander , Shore Base Force . He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his outstanding service in this area . On June 11 , 1945 he succeeded Mulcahy , who was in ill health , as Commanding General of the Tactical Air Force , Tenth Army and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing , for which he was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of his Third Legion of Merit . Post - war . In November 1945 , he took command of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Tientsin , China , and received an Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a fourth Legion of Merit for his meritorious performance of duty in providing air support for all Allied Forces in North China . He returned to the United States to become Commander , Marine Air West Coast in August 1946 . When that organization was deactivated in September 1947 , General Woods was named Commanding General of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing which had just returned to the United States . He was detached to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point , North Carolina on August 1 , 1949 , where he remained until his retirement in July 1951 . Decorations . Wood ' s decorations include :