Dudley Southworth Brown – Major General, United States Marine Corps

Deputy Commandant, US Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, he served as Chief-of-Staff, Expeditionary Troops, 3rd Fleet, during the Palau Operation in 1944, and was Deputy Chief-of-Staff of the 6th Army from August to December 1945. For outstanding services in these capacities he was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal. The citation for the Legion of Merit reads in part: “During the period from 15 June to 14 October 1944, while on the staff of the Task Force he headed the group which planned the Palau and allied operations. He displayed great professional ability, tireless energy and meticulous attention to detail in creating the operational plans, including loading plans for Marine Corps units as well as associated Army units and rendered exceptional service in supervising training plans and rehearsals for the operation. His professional skill, exhaustive knowledge, and able execution of his duties contributed materially to the success of operations of importance to the success of our continuing offensive against the enemy in this theater.”

He was born on March 30, 1896 at Fort Whipple, Arizona. After graduating  from the University of Arizona in 1917, he reported for active duty as a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps on June 18, 1917. He sailed for France as a member of 11th Regiment in October 1918, where he remained until returning to US in Jul 1919.

Following two-year tour of duty at USMC Barracks, Boston, Massachusetts, he was ordered to foreign shore duty with 2nd Brigade in Santo Domingo. There he served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General. He returned to the US again in November 1923, and was assigned to USMC Barracks, Navy Yard, Washington, DC.

In April 1924, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of the USMC Detachment, USMC Barracks, Naval Ammunition Depot, Iona Island, New York, where he remained until Aug 1927, when he was ordered to sea duty as Commanding Officer of the USMC Detachment, USS Wyoming. During his two years at sea he was on temporary foreign shore duty with the 2nd Brigade  in Nicaragua from March 1928 to January 1929. Upon return from sea duty he was ordered to USMC Barracks, Washington, DC, where he was Commanding Officer of the USMC Barracks Detachment and Post Adjutant.

In September 1931 he became a student at the Company Officers Course, Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia, and upon graduation in June  1932 he was ordered to the Basic School at Philadelphia to serve as an instructor.

He again went to sea in July 1934, when he assumed command of the USMC Detachment, USS Saratoga. The following year he was assigned as a student at the Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon completion of his studies he joined the staff of the USMC Schools, Quantico, where be became an instructor in the Third Section.

In July 1939 he assumed duties as Executive Officer, USMC Barracks, Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington. In September 1940, he was ordered to the USMC Base at San Diego where he became Operations Officer of the 2nd Marine Brigade, which later expanded to form 2nd Marine Division in February 1941. In November 1941, just prior to this country’s entry into WWII, he was assigned as Operations Officer for the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet. In October 1942 he went overseas to the South Pacific to become Operations Officer of the newly formed 1st Marine Amphibious Corps and remained in this position until July 1943 when he returned to the US to assume duties as Chief-of-Staff, Fleet Marine Force, San Diego Area. He rejoined the staff of the 1st Marine Amphibious Corps in February 1944, when he became Assistant Chief-of-StaffS, Planning Section.

In Octoner 1944 he joined the staff of the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, where he continued his duties as Assistant Chief-of-Staff, Planning Section. He was named Deputy Chief-of-Staff for the 6th Army in August 1945, remaining in that position until December 1945, when he became Chief-of-Staff of the 5th Amphibious Corps. When he returned to the US in March 1945, he was appointed to serve on the staff of the National War College in Washington, DC.

In January 1946 he was ordered to duty as Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He assumed his present duties at Quantico on May 1, 1948.

In addition to the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star, he was awarded the Letter of Commendation with Ribbon from the Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, for services as Chief-of-Staff, Expeditionary Troops, 5th Fleet during the Iwo Jima operations. Other medals include Victory Medal with Bronze Star, France 1918, USMC Expeditionary Medal, Dominican Republic 1921-23, Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal, 1928-29, American Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, Hawaii, 1941, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Stars, and WWII Victory Medal.

He is married to Josephine Waters Brown.

Genral Brown died in Portsmouth Naval Hosp of cancer. Lived in White Stone, Virginia. March 30, 1895-March 10, 1971. He was buried with full military honors in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard