Merton Jennings Batchelder (March 5, 1896 – November 26, 1975) was a

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 ...

brigadier general who served as commanding officer of the

25th Marine Regiment The 25th Marine Regiment (25th Marines) is one of two infantry regiments in the 4th Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps. From its headquarters in Fort Devens, Massachusetts, the regiment commands fifteen training centers in nine sta ...

and later as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the

4th Marine Division The 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It was raised in 1943 for service during World War II, and subsequently fought in the Pacific against the Japanese. Deactivated after the war, the division was re ...

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 ...

Early career

Batchelder was born on March 5, 1896, in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...

, and attended local public schools. 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 ...

, he enlisted in the Marine Corps as private in June 1917. After finishing of the

Recruit Training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which Resocialization, resocializes its subjects for ...

, Batchelder was sent to

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, Caribbean islands or West Indie ...

in September 1917, where he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and decorated with

Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Navy's variant of the Good Conduct Medal was established in 1869, the Marine Corps version in 1896, the Coast Guard version in 1923, the Arm ...

. He was sent to France within

13th Marine Regiment The 13th Marine Regiment (13th Marines) was an artillery regiment of the United States Marine Corps. The regiment was activated for service three times during the 20th century when the Marine Corps expanded to meet war time requirements. Origin ...

. However, Batchelder didn't participate in the combat duties and was stationed for the rest of the war in the city of Brest. During his service there, he was commissioned second lieutenant in August 1918. Batchelder returned to the United States in July 1919 and was assigned to the Marine Barracks 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 ...

. He subsequently sailed for

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

as a member of the Second Brigade of Marines in December 1919. Batchelder was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in March 1921.

World War II

Batchelder reported at Camp Pendleton, California, in August 1943, where new

was activated under the command of Major General Harry Schmidt. He was appointed division personnel officer at the same time and was responsible for the essential administrative liaison between the subordinate units and the headquarters. He sailed with the division to the Pacific in January 1944 and participated in the subsequent

Battle of Kwajalein The Battle of Kwajalein was fought as part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. It took place 31 January – 3 February 1944, on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Employing the hard-learned lessons of the Battle of Tarawa, the Unite ...

. Batchelder was appointed commanding officer of the

in April 1944, relieving Colonel

Samuel C. Cumming Samuel Calvin Cumming (October 14, 1895 – January 14, 1983) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of Major general (United States), major general. He is most noted for his service as assistant divis ...

, who was promoted and appointed assistant division commander. He subsequently commanded the regiment during the Saipan operation. During the following

Battle of Tinian The Battle of Tinian was part of the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II. It was fought between the United States and Japan on the island of Tinian in the Mariana Islands from 24 July until 1 August 1944. The battle saw napalm used f ...

at the end of July 1944, Batchelder landed on the beachhead with first waves under heavy enemy fire and was able to repel counterattacks and establish defense line. For his leadership and gallantry in action, he was decorated with the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

. Batchelder also received the

Navy Presidential Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...

Navy Cross citation

His official Navy Cross citation reads follows: Batchelder remained in command of the regiment until 31 October 1944, when he was appointed

. He succeeded Colonel Matthew C. Horner at this post. He served in this capacity during the

Battle of Iwo Jima The was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, desi ...

in February 1945 and was decorated with the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

with

Combat "V" Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of ...

for his service and also another

Postwar career

Batchelder served in this capacity until 9 April 1945, when he was ordered back to the United States. He was subsequently assigned to the

Headquarters Marine Corps The Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The funct ...

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 ...

, where he was appointed Chief of Detail Branch in June 1945. Batchelder remained at headquarters and was then appointed assistant director of personnel. He served in this capacity until 30 June 1949, when he retired from the Marine Corps. Batchelder was advanced to the rank of brigadier general for having been specially commended in combat. Batchelder died on November 26, 1975, and is buried at

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. ...

, together with his wife Katherine. Together they had son, Merton J. Batchelder (1929–2013), USNA of 1951 and captain in the Marine Corps.

Decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batchelder, Merton J. 1896 births 1975 deaths People from New Bedford, Massachusetts United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I American military personnel of the Banana Wars United States Marines United States Marine Corps generals Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Massachusetts