John Marston (USMC)

John Marston VI
Major General John Marston, USMC
Born	(1884-08-03)August 3, 1884 Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Died	November 25, 1957(1957-11-25) (aged 73) Lexington, Virginia
Place of burial	Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1908 - 1946
Rank	Major General
Commands	Camp Lejeune 2nd Marine Division 1st Provisional Marine Brigade China Marines
Battles / wars	Veracruz Expedition World War I Haitian Campaign Nicaraguan Campaign World War II Occupation of Iceland Guadalcanal Campaign
Relations	RADM John Marston III (great-grandfather) LTCOL John Marston VII (son)

John Marston VI (August 3, 1884 – November 25, 1957) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of major general, who is most noted as being the commanding general of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade during the Occupation of Iceland and later as the commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division at Guadalcanal.

Early life

John Marston VI was born on August 3, 1884 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, to a family with a long military tradition. His great-great-great-grandfather John Marston I (1715-1786) was a captain with the 3rd Massachusetts Bay Artillery and participated in the Siege of Louisburg in the War of the Austrian Succession. Marston's great-great-grandfather John Marston II (1756-1846) served as a major in the Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolutionary War, and his great-grandfather was John Marston III, who commanded the steam frigate USS Roanoke during the Battle of Hampton Roads in the American Civil War and was eventually promoted to rear admiral after the war.

Only Marston's father, John Marston V, did not serve in the military. He worked as a chief engineer in Williamsport and North Branch Railroad Company. Marston VI attended the University of Pennsylvania, as his father had, and graduated in June 1904. However, Marston choose to serve his country as his ancestors had, and entered Marine Corps on June 4, 1908. Because of his university education, he was appointed second lieutenant on the same date.

After his appointment to the Corps, Marston attended Marine School of Application in Washington, D.C.. After graduating in January 1909, he sailed for shore duty to Hawaii, where he served at the Marine barracks in Honolulu until October. He was subsequently transferred to Portsmouth Naval Prison, Maine, where he served within Marine barracks until May 1912. During his time there, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in March 1911.

Marston was subsequently assigned to the Marine detachment aboard the battleship USS Michigan and remained there until he was transferred to the Marine barracks at Philadelphia Navy Yard. While stationed there, he was assigned to the Advanced Base Force within the 1st Brigade of Marines and sailed for Veracruz, Mexico in April 1914. He subsequently served with occupation forces until the summer of 1915.

During August 1915, Marston was sent to Haiti within Garde d'Haïti and participated in the Battle of Fort Rivière. During the battle, he commanded a small detachment of Benét–Mercié machine guns and covered the advance of Major Smedley Butler and his men. He served on Haiti until August 1918, when he returned to the United States. While serving on Haiti, Marston was promoted to Captain on August 29, 1916.

Interwar period

After his return to the United States, he was appointed Commanding Officer of Marine Detachment within the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Following two years of service there, Marston was promoted to the rank of major on July 22, 1920, and transferred to the Marine Barracks Quantico, Virginia.

World War II

Wake Island premiere, San Diego, August 24, 1942. L to R: Actor Brian Donlevy, Mrs. Venepha P. Hermle, Major General John Marston, Colonel Leo D. Hermle, Major Raymond W. Hanson.

With the increasing threat of German occupation of Iceland in May 1940, the British government sent Royal Marines under the command of Colonel Robert Sturges to prevent Germany from occupying strategic islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Because of the critical need for troops on other battlefields, Great Britain requested that the United States occupy Iceland in June 1941, which was approved. The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was reactivated under the command of Brigadier General Marston in the San Diego area and sailed for Iceland. Marston arrived there at the beginning of July 1941 and remained there for the next six months.

With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was ordered back to the United States and finally disbanded in January 1942. Its units were transferred to the 2nd Marine Division and Marston was appointed its commanding general on April 15, 1942. In this capacity, he succeeded Brigadier General Joseph C. Fegan. Marston was also promoted to the rank of major general on March 20, 1942.

The 2nd Division was ordered to the Pacific theater, arriving on American Samoa in September 1942. The division subsequently participated in Battle of Guadalcanal, but Marston personally was ordered to stay in New Zealand. The main reason for this order was to maintain a good relationship with the United States Army, because the Guadalcanal Campaign should be an Army operation and General Marston was superior to the commander of XIV Corps, Major General Alexander Patch. He relinquished his command to his assistant division commander, Brigadier General Alphonse DeCarre. After a few months in the Pacific, Marston was ordered back to the United States in April 1943.

After his arrival, he was diagnosed with malaria and sent to Naval Hospital San Diego for treatment. Following his recovery, he was appointed Commander of Marine Activities in San Diego area, with headquarters at Camp Elliott. During August 1943, he was appointed Commanding general of Department of Pacific, succeeding Major General William P. Upshur, who was killed in an air crash near Sitka, Alaska.

Marston served in this capacity until 20 April 1944, when he was appointed Commanding General of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He remained in this position for the rest of the war and finally retired from the Marine Corps in 1946.

After his retirement, Marston lived in Lexington, Virginia, and died on November 25, 1957. He is buried at local Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery together with his wife, Elizabeth Worthington Marston (1889-1961). They had one son, John Marston VII (1917-1978), who also served in the Marine Corps and was decorated with the Silver Star while serving with the 6th Marine Division on Okinawa. Marston VII retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Decorations

The following are Major General Marston's decorations. It is not clear whether Marston received any decorations for merit during World War II.

1st Row	Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal with two stars						Mexican Service Medal
2nd Row	Haitian Campaign Medal			World War I Victory Medal with West Indies clasp			Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal			China Service Medal
3rd Row	American Defense Service Medal with "A" Device			European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal			American Campaign Medal			Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one service star
4th Row	World War II Victory Medal			Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit with Diploma			Nicaraguan Cross of Valor			Nicaraguan Medal for Merit