Ross Erastus Rowell (September 22, 1884 – September 6, 1947) was a highly decorated

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

who served as the Marine Corps' Director of Aviation from May 30, 1935, until March 10, 1939, and was one of the three senior officers of

Marine Corps Aviation The United States Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA) is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. Aviation units within the Marine Corps are assigned to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providing ...

during World War II. He achieved the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

by the end of his 40 years of service.

Biography

Early years

Ross Erastus Rowell was born on September 22, 1884, in Ruthven, Iowa, attending grade and high school in Ruthven. He was graduated from

Iowa State College Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

and then studied electrical engineering for two years at the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

. He then worked for two years as topographer and draftsman for the

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...

at Snake River Valley, Idaho.

Early military career

He was appointed as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in August 1906. He served in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

from 1906 until 1909. Rowell was designated a student naval aviator in 1923, taking his fight training at

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United Sta ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-use airport, Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he ...

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. General Rowell was commended by the

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

for making the highest bombing score during the gunnery year 1924–25, and in 1926 he was praised by the

Commandant of the Marine Corps Commandant of the Marine Corps may refer to: * Commandant of the Marine Corps (Indonesia) * Commandant of the Netherlands Marine Corps * Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps * Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps * Commandant of th ...

for the high state of efficiency prevailing at

Naval Air Station San Diego Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado ( ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where he then was group commander. In early 1927, Rowell as commander of the squadron VO-1M, deployed to

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

as part of the United States occupation during this time referred to as the

Banana Wars The Banana Wars were a series of conflicts that consisted of military occupation, police action, and Interventionism (politics), intervention by the United States in Central America and the Caribbean between the end of the Spanish–American W ...

. They arrived at the port of Corinto on February 25 and proceeded to

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

where they began training and flying in support of their fellow Marines on the ground. Sherrod (1952), p. 24. On July 16, 1927, a 37-man Marine garrison in

Ocotal Ocotal () is the capital of the Nueva Segovia Department in Nicaragua, Central America and the municipal seat of Ocotal Municipality. History The region occupied by the city of Ocotal was formerly occupied by different ethnic groups that had prob ...

was surrounded by several hundred sandinistas led by

Augusto César Sandino Augusto César Sandino (; 18 May 1895 21 February 1934), full name Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino, was a Nicaraguan revolutionary, founder of the militant group EDSN, and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the United Sta ...

. Upon getting news of the attack, then Major Rowell, flew a 5 plane detachment of DHs to help relieve the garrison. The

dive-bombing A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

runs from low altitude made by Rowell and his men marked one of the first coordinated dive-bombing attacks in aviation history. Sherrod (1952), p. 25. Rowell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to Sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorio ...

for his extraordinary heroism and exceptionally meritorious service in action against hostile Nicaraguan bandits during this time. On May 30, 1932, Rowell took command of the ''East Coast Expeditionary Force'' at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Barrow (1981), p. 67. His air command won the Schiff Trophy in 1926, 1932, and again in 1933. He led the Marine Air Detachment at the International Air Races at Chicago in September, 1933, and in the All-American Air Races at Miami, Florida, in January 1935, achieving commendable performances on both occasions. He served as director of Marine Corps Aviation from May 30, 1935, through March 10, 1939. In this role he was the senior advisor to the commandant on all aviation matters and the Marine Corps' liaison with the Navy's

Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and rela ...

. Sherrod (1952), p. 31. In addition to duty at various posts in the United States and extensive sea duty, Rowell served abroad in the Philippine Islands, France, Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

World War II

Early in World War II, Rowell was sent to London as an Air

Attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...

for duty in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. It was in the

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

and in the skies over Great Britain that he was able to see the advent of fighters equipped to operate at night. He also traveled and learned all he could about

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, England.

Doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

(2000), p. 4. Upon his return in November 1941, Rowell made a recommendation for the Marine Corps to acquire a medium-sized, long range, high-speed bomber to be used for night harassing missions. This coupled with the work of other Marines grew into the Marine PBJ night bomber program. De Chant (1947), p. 48. Following these tours, Rowell served as commanding general, Marine Aircraft Wings, Pacific (MAWP), from the opening of the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...

in August 1942 until Japanese air power was driven from the Bismarck-Solomons in 1944. MAWP was based at

Marine Corps Air Station Ewa Marine Corps Air Station Ewa (MCAS Ewa) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located west of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The base was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later served as the hub for all ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

and its mission was to organize, administrate and distribute personnel and supplies for Marine Air Wings in the Pacific. Shettle (2000), p. 90. On December 27, 1942, Rowell read a dispatch from Admiral Halsey on

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

speaking to the negative effects that night time raids from Japanese bombers were having on the ground troops. Based on his earlier travels and observations, Rowell immediately recommended that a night fighter unit be made "available immediately for overseas duty". This message to Marine Headquarters in Washington would be the catalyst for kicking the development of Marine Night Fighters into high gear. Sherrod (1952), p. 160. It was during this time that Admiral Ernest King convinced Rowell that there was no longer a need for Marines to get carrier qualifications since all of their aircraft were currently based out of land based strips. This lack of foresight led to Marine pilots not being able to fly from escort carriers which were providing the

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

during amphibious landings. This would return to haunt the Marine Corps during the

Mariana and Palau Islands campaign The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Campaign Plan Granite II, was an offensive launched by the United States against Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific between June and November 1944 during the Pacific War. The campaig ...

in which it was generally felt that close air support provided by pilots from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

left much to be desired. The lack of adequate air support was coupled with the feeling amongst other senior Marine aviators such as Roy Geiger and then Commandant

Alexander Vandegrift Alexander Archer Vandegrift (March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973) was a United States Marine Corps highly decorated four-star general (United States), general, Medal of Honor recipient, and a Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Commandant of ...

that Marine aviation was not paying attention to its primary purpose of providing close air support and was too concerned with shooting down enemy aircraft. Sherrod (1952), p. 325. In August 1944, General Vandegrift flew to Hawaii to meet with Admiral Nimitz and his staff and came up with the solution that Marine squadrons would be assigned to escort carriers, Marine aviation would take control of aircraft directly supporting ground troops during amphibious operations and ''Marine Air Wing Pacific'' would be renamed ''Aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific''(AirFMFPac). This new role was not welcomed by Rowell and he became so negative that he was quickly replaced by MajGen Francis P. Mulcahy in October 1944 and reassigned as the Chief of the Naval Aviation Mission to

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, a post he held until his retirement in November 1946. Sherrod (1952), p. 327. Mersky (1983), p. 98. In September 1944, he was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

for outstanding service as commanding general, Marine Aircraft Wings Pacific from August 1942 to September 1944. Rowell retired from the Marine Corps after 40 years of service on November 1, 1946. He died at the Naval Hospital in San Diego on September 6, 1947. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

.Burial Detail: Rowell, Ross E
– ANC Explorer

Dates of rank

Rowell's dates of rank are:

Decorations

References

;Specific ;Bibliography * * * * * * * ;Web * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowell, Ross E. 1884 births 1947 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps World War II generals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Air Corps Tactical School alumni University of Idaho alumni Iowa State University alumni People from Palo Alto County, Iowa American military personnel of the Banana Wars Military personnel from Iowa