Robert Blake (August 17, 1894 – October 2, 1983) was a highly decorated major general in the

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 ...

during World War II. He was a recipient of the second highest decorations of the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

, the Distinguished Service Cross and 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 ...

, both of which he earned during his service in

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 ...

. Blake also received second

during Nicaraguan Campaign.

World War I

Blake was born on August 17, 1894, in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, and attended the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. When United States declared War on Germany in April 1917, Blake reported for active duty and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on May 19, 1917. After finishing of basic training, he was assigned to the 17th Company, 1st Battalion,

5th Marine Regiment The 5th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "5th Marines") is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the most highly decorated regiment in the Marine Corps and falls ...

and sent overseas 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 ...

. He arrived in France on November 19, 1917, and was appointed platoon leader in his company. Blake was also promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. With the

German spring offensive The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...

, 5th Marine Regiment participated in the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) was a major battle that occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne (river), Marne River in France. The battle was fought by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division (United State ...

at the beginning of June 1918. When the liaison between Blake's 17th Company and other 1st Battalion 49th Company was interrupted, First Lieutenant Blake volunteered himself to maintained liaison with that unit. He crossed several times open field under heavy machine gun and sniper fire and reestablished the communication. Blake later crossed large wheat field under enemy fire and reached French unit. He subsequently returned with valuable information about enemy's position. For his extraordinary heroism in action, he was decorated with Distinguished Service Cross. He was later decorated with the

for the same action. Blake was promoted to the temporary rank of captain on July 1, 1918. He was later decorated with the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

for his leadership during the Battle of Château-Thierry and appointed commanding officer of 66th Company of 1st Battalion. He later participated in the Battle of Soissons,

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12 to 15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States again ...

or Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Blake also received ''Croix de guerre 1914-1918'' with two Gilt Stars from the Government of

and ''Order of the Crown, rank of Chevalier'' from

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

World War II

On 8 July 1940, Blake was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and was assigned to the Senior Course at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. After his graduation in May 1941, he was appointed

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

(CO) of the

. The regiment was garrisoned at New River Base,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

for the next ten months. In June 1942, six months after the United States entered

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 ...

, Blake was transferred to the command of the 10th Defense Battalion and participated in the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major military campaign, campaign of the Pacific War during World War II. The campaign began with the Empire of Japan, Japanese seizure of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, B ...

Russell Islands :''See also Russell Island (disambiguation).'' The Russell Islands are two small islands ( Pavuvu and Mbanika), as well as several islets, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of Solomon Islands. They are located approximately northwe ...

. He was also in charge of antiaircraft defense of the islands. Colonel Blake was subsequently transferred to the

3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry division ...

, where he served as the division's

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 ...

under the command of Major General Allen H. Turnage. The 3rd Marine Division participated in Bougainville campaign, and Blake personally coordinated and planned amphibious operations. He was also responsible for the coordination of air and naval support. For his work during this operation, Blake was decorated with 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 ...

with Combat "V". He remained in this capacity until February 1944, when he was transferred to the command of the 21st Marine Regiment. With the Second Battle of Guam in July 1944, Blake was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and appointed chief of staff of the Island Command of Guam. He was subsequently appointed deputy island commander in March 1945. He received his second

for this service. On 20 June 1945, when the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

was nearing its end, Blake was transferred to the staff of the Tenth Army under the command of General

Joseph Stilwell Joseph Warren "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell (19 March 1883 – 12 October 1946) was a United States Army general who served in the China Burma India theater during World War II. Stilwell was appointed as Chief of Staff for Chiang Kai-shek, the Chine ...

, where he served as Marine Deputy Chief of Staff. In this capacity, Blake accepted the surrender of the Truk Islands Japanese Garrison under the command of Vice Admiral

Chūichi Hara was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Heavier and taller than the average Japanese person, he was nicknamed "King Kong" by his friends earlier in his career (after 1933, when the film ''King Kong'' premiered) ...

on 4 October 1945. A month later, Blake was appointed commanding general of the Occupation Forces, Truk and Central

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the cen ...

Postwar career

Blake returned to the United States in June 1946 and was appointed president of the Postwar Personnel Reorganization Board and Naval Retirement Board at

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 ...

His main duty was to study the records of all officers who wanted to stay in the service. He subsequently made recommendations based on this records. On 1 October 1946, Blake was appointed inspector general of the Marine Corps. In this capacity, he succeeded his old friend, Major General

Pedro del Valle Pedro Augusto del Valle (August 28, 1893 – April 28, 1978) was a United States Marine Corps officer who became the first Hispanic to reach the rank of lieutenant general. His military career included service in World War I, the Banana Wars, ...

. Blake remained in this capacity until his retirement on June 30, 1949. He was advanced to the rank of major general on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat on the same date. He subsequently resided in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, and died on October 2, 1983, in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. Blake is buried at

Golden Gate National Cemetery Golden Gate National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery in California, located in the city of San Bruno, California, San Bruno, south of San Francisco. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with San Francisco ...

Decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake (USMC), Robert 1894 births 1983 deaths Military personnel from Seattle University of Washington alumni Naval War College alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps World War II generals American military personnel of the Banana Wars United States Marine Corps generals Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Knights of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Burials at Golden Gate National Cemetery