# General Louis H. Wilson, USMC.



## hardheadjarhead (Jun 25, 2005)

A giant of the Corps passed away this week:

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/111951852980540.xml&coll=2


I met him several times.

My father and he had known of each other on Guam in 1944, where my father was a regimental operations officer for 3rd Marine Regiment.  Wilson was a company commander, and earned the Medal of Honor there.  

Later, when my dad published the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Wilson was a three star commanding FMF Pacific.  I first met him then at a cocktail party at Pearl Harbor.  I met Admiral McCain, CINCPAC, that day as well, and he told me about his son John's imprisonment in Hanoi.  McCain was tough and downright scarey.  Wilson was not.

Wilson was six feet, six inches tall with piercing blue eyes.  An engaging man who would bend down to talk to me and kept eye contact with me throughout our conversation.  His wife was wonderful.  His daughter, it turned out, was a senior at my high school (I was a sophomore).

A year later or so I met him again when my dad took me on a trip to Guam for the Guam Liberation anniversary.  Wilson was there, and we talked again.

In 1979, when he was the Commandant, I was going through my last six weeks of the Platoon Leaders Class at Quantico.  My parents visited him and his wife at the Commandant's home and had dinner with them.  When his wife Jane heard from my mother that I was in Quantico she brightened up and said, "Louis, Steve is at Quantico!  Why don't we send a car down for him and have him brought up for dinner?"

My dad and the General looked at each other, and General Wilson responded, "My dear, some how I don't think Steve would appreciate that."

Could you imagine...a limo with the Commandant's flag arrives at my squad bay, and the Drill Instructor calls me to the office?  I'd never have lived it down.  

General Wilson set high standards, but was a humble man.  What this article doesn't say is that he was that on Guam he was shot through each thigh twice by a burst from a Japanese machine gun, and after that he ran into a machine gun lane, grabbed his company First Sergeant, and carried him to safety.  I learned all this and asked him how he managed to do it, and he replied in all humility that his First Sergeant was not a very large man.

But Wilson was a large man.  Larger than life.  There are indeed epic heroes in this world, and this was one of them.



Semper Fi,



Steve


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## Tgace (Jun 25, 2005)

Semper Fi


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## arnisador (Jun 25, 2005)

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## shesulsa (Jun 25, 2005)

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## Rick Wade (Jun 25, 2005)

:asian: ..

here is a link to his bio and Medal of Honor citation.

http://www.medalofhonor.com/LouisWilson.htm 

V/R

Richard English, YNC(SS), USN


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## hardheadjarhead (Jun 25, 2005)

The General's MOH citation, and the citation of other recipients who passed on this year is found here:

http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/recent_dep_cit.htm

Note General Wilson led a counterattack the day AFTER getting shot through both legs.

The other citations are worth reading, too.  Amazing men, all.



Regards,


Steve


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## Bammx2 (Jun 25, 2005)

I was born and raised in jacksonville,NC.
 Even though I wasn't able to join the MC,it was a huge part of my life just the same.
  My mother still works on the base.
 I got meet hundreds,maybe even thousands of marines, young and old,rich and poor,and every colour and creed imaginable.
 I got to see them at thier best,the dress blues are STILL the best damn uniform on the planet!,and thier worst,the Globe and Anchor out on 2nd front will do that to ya and so will the Driftwood
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.
 It never mattered what your skin colour was or how much money you had in a trust fund.....a marine was a marine and he was your brother for life!
 I never got to meet Gen.Wilson,but one of my oldest and dearest friends knew him,and he used to say "that s.o.b! He got me to do 22 years in the corps! and I thank him for it every day".
  I do know he was a man to be looked up too.
 The marines in general,I look up too.

 SALUTE!
 :asian:


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