Allan Thomas Wood – Major General, United States Marine Corps

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Major General Allan Thomas Wood  (retired) was currently employed as Assistant to the President of A.A.I. Inc., in Baltimore, Maryland.

General Wood was born on August 1, 1923, in Wayne, Pennsylvania. He earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and his M.A. degree in Industrial Management from the University of Pennsylvania, in 1950 and 1951, respectively.

He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as an Aviation Cadet, December 7, 1942, and received pre-flight training at Chapel Hill, N.C., primary flight training in Olathe, Kansas, and basic and advanced training at Corpus Christi, Texas. He was Commissioned a Marine Corps Reserve Second Lieutenant and designated a Naval Aviator in March 1945. Following operational flight training at the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida, in July 1945, he served as a squadron pilot with Marine Fighter Squadron 471, Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, California, until November of that year.

From November 1945 to January 1946, he was a squadron pilot with Marine Fighter Squadron 217, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, and then, returned to El Toro, where he joined Marine Fighter Squadron 452 until his release from active duty on May 3, 1946.

Recalled to active duty in January 1951, General Wood first saw duty with Marine Fighter Squadron 451, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. Following instruction with Marine Training Squadron 2, El Toro, in June 1951, he was ordered to Korea for duty as a squadron pilot with Marine Fighter Squadron 212, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. There, he earned two awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross, four awards of the Air Medal and the Purple Heart for wounds received.

Upon his return to the United States in April 1952, he saw duty as Flight Instructor, Assistant Flight Operations Officer and as Officer-in-Charge of Ground Training, successively, at tile Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas. In March 1957, he became Field Operations Officer with Marine Air Base Squadron, Marine Aircraft Group 14, Naval Auxiliary Air Station, Edenton, North Carolina.

General Wood was released to inactive duty in July 1958 and returned to the Organized Marine Corps Reserve as a member of Marine Fighter Squadron 218, at the Naval Air Station, Willow Grove. After his detachment in October of that year, he reported to the Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia, as squadron pilot with Marine Attack Squadron 233, and later, as S-2 Officer with Marine Aircraft Reserve Group 20, serving in the latter capacity until August 1964.

He next served as Commanding Officer, Volunteer Training Unit Aviation) 20, and again as Intelligence Officer with Marine Aircraft Reserve Group 20, Naval Air Station, Norfolk, until March 1968. He was then assigned as Commanding Officer, Marine Aircraft Reserve Group 18, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, Louisiana.

In September 1968, he returned to active duty for three years and served as Manpower Planning and Procurement Officer and Staff Group (Aviation) Volunteer Training Unit Coordinator, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Glenview Ill., until November 1969. He received the Meritorious Service Medal for his performance of duty during this period. Following that assignment, he reported to the Far East, South Vietnam, for a one-year tour of duty as Deputy Chief of Staff, and later, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, Logistics, III Marine Amphibious Force. For his service during this Vietnam tour, he earned the Legion of Merit with Combat “V”, the Republic of Korea Order of Military Merit In Hun, and the Vietnamese Armed Forces Honor Medal 1st Class.

Upon his return to the U.S., in December 1970, General Wood served as the Inspector, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Naval Air Station, Glenview. He was released to inactive duty in September 1971, and once again returned to the Organized Marine Corps Reserve as the Commanding Officer, 20th Staff Group (Aviation), Naval Air Station, Norfolk. He concurrently served as Chief of Staff, 82d Marine Amphibious Brigade from December 1971 to September 1972.

General Wood was assigned duty as Assistant Wing Commander, Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing, in July 1973. In April 1976, he was assigned as Deputy Director, Marine Corps Reserve for Personnel Procurement and Retention. He was assigned as Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Aviation, Headquarters Marine Corps, in March 1978. He served in this capacity until his retirement on May 1, 1981.

He has served on a number of Marine Corps Reserve officer and enlisted promotion boards at Headquarters Marine Corps. He was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve Policy Board in 1969, 71, 72 and 73, at HQMC. General Wood has attended the Reserve courses at the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island; Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia; and staff courses at Landing Force Training Command, Pacific and Landing Force Training Command, Atlantic. Additionally, he was the senior Marine Corps member of the Department of Defense Total Force Study in 1974. His promotions are as follows: captain, June 25, 1952; major, July 1,
1955; lieutenant colonel, July 1, 1962; colonel, November 1, 1967; brigadier general, April 20, 1973; and major general, July 1, 1976.

Major General Wood and his wife, the former Delores Gochanour of Omaha, Nebraska, have four children: Patricia A., Susan L., Thomas and Allan.

WOOD, ALLAN THOMAS
MAJ GEN   US MARINE CORPS

  • VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 12/07/1942 – 08/01/1983
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 08/01/1923
  • DATE OF DEATH: 06/19/1999
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 10/03/2002
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 12  SITE 3142

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