Samuel Lutz Howard (March 8, 1891 – October 12, 1960) 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 ...

officer who served with distinction in the Marine Corps for thirty-eight years, attaining the rank of major general while on active duty, and subsequently promoted to Lieutenant General upon retirement. In the early stages of World War II, then-Colonel Howard commanded the 4th Marine Regiment on

Bataan Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula ...

and

Corregidor Corregidor (, , ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of Cavite City and thus the province of Cavite. It is located west of Manila, the nation's capi ...

from December 7, 1941, to May 6, 1942. For distinguished service in battles, he was awarded 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 ...

. Captured by the Japanese at

and held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

from 1942 until being liberated in 1945. He was the most senior U.S. Marine to be held captive during World War II. After the war, he continued to serve in senior command posts until his retirement in 1953.

Biography

Howard was born on March 8, 1891, 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 ...

He graduated from the

Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...

in 1912. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on May 11, 1914, at which time he reported for duty at the Marine Officers' School, Marine Barracks in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

Early military career

In August 1915, Howard was sent on his first tour of foreign duty to Port au Prince, Haiti, with a Marine Expeditionary regiment, which was sent to

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

after two Americans were killed by snipers. In December 1916, he went to sea as a member of the

Marine Detachment A Marine Detachment, or MarDet, was a unit of United States Marines permanently embarked on large warships including cruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers, typically consisting of anywhere 35 and 85 men. They were a regular component of a s ...

aboard the and remained on sea duty for almost three years, assuming command of the Marine detachment, in 1917, and the Marine detachment on the in 1918. Two years of recruiting duty in Richmond, Virginia, and a year at the Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., preceded the General's second tour of foreign duty, this time with the Second Brigade Marines in

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 ...

in the

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 ...

. Returning to the United States in August 1924, he served at the Marine Corps Base, San Diego, California, with the Fourth Marine Regiment until assigned to the Field Officers' Course, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, the following year. Upon graduation in May 1926, he was assigned to duty at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he was a member of the War Plans Section, and later a member of the Commandant's Department (then John A. Lejeune). In June 1929, Howard was sent to Haiti to join the Garde d'Haiti, where his roles included Chief of Police and Department Commander of Port au Prince, Haiti. He was returned to the U.S. and assumed duties with the First Battalion, Seventh Marines, until August 1934, at which time he was again transferred to Marine Corps Headquarters. From August 1934 until June 1938, he served as the

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

, Division of Operations and Training, Headquarters Marine Corps. In June 1938, he was ordered to 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 ...

, as a student in the Senior Course. While attending the Senior Course he was promoted to colonel on October 1, 1938. Following graduation, Howard joined the Second Brigade,

Fleet Marine Force The United States Fleet Marine Forces (FMF) are combined general and special forces within the United States Department of the Navy that perform offensive amphibious or expeditionary warfare and defensive maritime employment. The Fleet Marine ...

, as commanding officer, Sixth Marine Regiment, later becoming Brigade Executive Officer, and finally Division Chief of Staff of the Marine Division.

World War II

Eight months prior to the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

, Howard moved to his next duty station in China, and on May 14, 1941, he assumed of command the Fourth Marine Regiment at

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. In September, with the threat of war between the United States and Japan looming, Howard made the recommendation to U.S. Navy commander of the Asiatic Fleet, Admiral Thomas Hart, that the Marine regiment be evacuated from Shanghai. Finally, on November 10, 1941, Howard received orders to prepare to evacuate. The evacuation of the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

began on 27 November, with the first group setting sail on the USS ''President Madison''; Howard departed the following day on the USS ''President Harrison''. Once at sea, the 4th Marines received their orders to proceed to the Philippines.. The ''Madison'' and ''Harrison'' traveled together, accompanied by two U.S. Navy submarines.. Howard arrived at

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...

, without incident, on December 1. The Marines were to immediately began field training. Admiral Hart met with Howard on December 3, and predicted that war with Japan was imminent. In the early hours of December 8, Asiatic Fleet headquarters received the news of the

. Five days later, Howard and the regiment began the fight that lasted until the fall of Corregidor in May 1942. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright ordered all forces to surrender to the Japanese, upon which Colonel Howard ordered the burning of the regimental colors (flag) and the destruction of all the regiment’s weapons prior to surrendering. Colonel Howard lamented that he was the first Marine to surrender a regiment. For his distinguished service during the bitter fighting at Bataan and Corregidor, he was awarded the Navy Cross. Navy Cross citation: Howard's Navy Cross citation reads in part: : ...Colonel Howard successfully and efficiently employed his force in the defense of Olongapo until ordered to withdraw. The Regiment was then shifted to Corregidor where it rendered outstandingly courageous service in the defense of the beaches of that island fortress... :During the prolonged siege, Colonel Howard commanded all beach defenses... Although exposed to many and repeated bombing and strafing attacks, and terrific artillery bombardments, Colonel Howard displayed outstanding qualities of courage, leadership and efficiency under most difficult and hazardous conditions. Howard was taken captive at Corregidor on 6 May 1942 – and was the most senior U.S. Marine taken captive during World War II. He was forced to march many miles to a prison camp. He was held as a

in the Philippines and then in

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

. He was liberated in September 1945. On August 19, 1942, while a POW, Howard received a promotion to brigadier general; however, he would not formally take the rank until he was back in "the jurisdictional limits of the United States." Howard remained a

until liberated in August 1945. He was retroactively promoted to major general, effective March 30, 1942. He was returned to the United States, and after several months, was ordered to the Marine Barracks,

Parris Island, South Carolina Parris Island is a district of the city of Port Royal, South Carolina on an island of the same name. It became part of the city with the annexation of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on October 11, 2002. For statistical purposes, ...

, as Deputy Commanding General. He served as acting commander from February 2, 1946 – February 12, 1946.

Post war years

Returning to China in September 1946, General Howard assumed command of the First Marine Division (Reinforced) with headquarters in Tientsin. Upon withdrawal of the First Marine Division from China in June 1947, he was transferred to Pearl Harbor to become commanding general, Marine Garrison Forces, Pacific, which post to be held until September 1, 1948, when he returned to the United States. On September 10, 1948, he was ordered to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., as president of the Naval Examining Board and president of the Marine Corps Reserve Examining Board. He assumed his final post as of Inspector General of the Marine Corps on June 6, 1950; holding the post for almost three years.

Retirement

Howard retired from the Marine Corps on March 31, 1953, and was advanced to the grade of lieutenant general. Howard died on October 12, 1960 at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and was 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. ...

..Burial Detail: Howard, Samuel L
– ANC Explorer He left behind his widow, Marianna (née Gray) Howard, and two daughters, Nancy and Mary Elizabeth.

Awards and decorations

Lieutenant General Howard's decoration and medals include:

References

Citations

Sources

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