Major General Allen Wyant Gullion (December 14, 1880 – June 19, 1946) was an American Army officer who served as the 19th

Judge Advocate General of the United States Army The Judge Advocate General of the United States Army (TJAG) is the senior officer of the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army. Under Title 10 of the United States Code, the TJ ...

from 1937 to 1941 and the 17th Provost Marshal General of the United States Army from 1941 to 1944.

Early years

Allen Wyant Gullion, the son of Edmund A. Gullion and Atha Hanks, was born on December 14, 1880, in the town of

Carrollton, Kentucky Carrollton is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in—and the county seat of—Carroll County, Kentucky, Carroll County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Kentucky River, Kentucky rivers. The po ...

. He attended

Centre College Centre College, formally Centre College of Kentucky, is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, United States. Chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819, the col ...

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micr ...

, and subsequently the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

Army career

He graduated from West Point in the class of 1905 and was commissioned a Second lieutenant at that time. Gullion subsequently saw service during the

Moro Rebellion The Moro Rebellion (1902–1913) was an armed conflict between the Moro people and the United States military during the Philippine–American War. The rebellion occurred after the conclusion of the conflict between the United States and Fir ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Gullion received a law degree at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

in 1914. During the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

, Gullion served with the 2nd Kentucky Infantry on the Mexican border in 1916. He was promoted to the temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was assigned to the Office of the Provost Marshal, where he served as a Chief of Mobilization Division. In 1918, Gullion was transferred to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where he served within

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

as a judge advocate. In 1919, Gullion was transferred back to the United States and was appointed the legal adviser of major general

Robert Lee Bullard Lieutenant General Robert Lee Bullard (January 5, 1861 – September 11, 1947) was a senior officer of the United States Army. He was involved in conflicts in the American Western Frontier, the Philippines, and World War I, where he commanded t ...

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk ...

. For his wartime service, Lieutenant Colonel Gullion was decorated with the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...

for his merits in the Office of Mobilization Division. He served as a prosecuting attorney in the court-martial of Colonel William L. Mitchell.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Gullion was appointed the U.S. Army Provost Marshal in 1941. Gullion served in this capacity until 1944, when he was succeeded by Major General

Archer L. Lerch Archer Lynn Lerch (January 12, 1894 - September 11, 1947) was a United States Army officer with the rank of Major general, who served as Provost Marshal General of the Army during World War II. Early life and career Lerch was born in Sumner, N ...

. Gullion was a prime mover in the efforts to intern American citizens of Japanese ancestry in camps in the wake of the hysteria resulting from the

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

attack.Morgan, Ted. ''FDR''. Simon & Schuster, 1985, p. 626. Gullion was subsequently attached to

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allies of World War II, Allied forces in northwest Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. US General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the ...

in Europe. In 1943, the FBI investigated Gullion for his role in forming an extra-military organization known as the SGs which was intended "to save America from FDR, radical labor, the Communists, the Jews, and the colored race." However, within months, his poor health and age were cited for the major general's retirement in 1944. For his wartime service, Gullion received an

Oak Leaf Cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a spec ...

to his

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...

and 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 ...

. Major General Allen Wyant Gullion died on June 19, 1946, at the age of 65 years in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

His ashes were strewn in the family lot at New Castle Cemetery in

New Castle, Kentucky New Castle is a home rule-class city in Henry County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. As of the 2010 census the population was 912. African Americans attended New Castle Colored School prior to integration. History N ...

, next to the grave of his wife, Ruth Ellis Mathews Gullion (1881–1940).

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Major General Gullion:

In popular culture

Gullion was portrayed on screen by actor

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger ( ; April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Ranked as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars", he is closely associ ...

in the 1955 picture ''

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell ''The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope biographical drama film directed by Otto Preminger, and starring Gary Cooper and co-starring Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, and Elizabeth Montgomery in her fil ...

''.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gullion, Allen W. 1880 births 1946 deaths People from Carrollton, Kentucky University of Kentucky alumni Judge advocates general of the United States Army United States Army Provost Marshal Generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Naval War College alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from New Castle, Kentucky United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals