Sidney Scott Wade (September 30, 1909 – November 24, 2002) was a highly decorated officer of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

who attained the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. He is most noted as commanding general of all Marine forces during

1958 Lebanon crisis The 1958 Lebanon crisis (also known as the Lebanese Civil War of 1958) was a political crisis in Lebanon caused by political and religious tensions in the country that included a United States military intervention. The intervention lasted for aro ...

and previously as commanding officer of the

1st Marine Regiment The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1s ...

during

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

. Wade later served as commanding general of the Force Troops,

Fleet Marine Force Atlantic Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT) is an American maritime landing force that is spread across the Atlantic Ocean. It is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk and directs and commands all the subordinate elements of the Navy Expeditiona ...

and

MCRD San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot (commonly referred to as MCRD) San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and th ...

Early career

Sidney S. Wade was born on September 30, 1909, in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, Illinois, Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomingto ...

, and attended local high school in 1927. He subsequently enlisted in the

in May 1928 and after one year of enlisted service, he was appointed to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, in July 1929. Wade graduated in 1933, and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on the same date. He was then sent to

the Basic School The Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed (for warrant officers) United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an "Officer of Marines". The Basic School is located at Camp Barrett, Quantico, Vi ...

Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...

for further officers training. Following the completing of the course, he was subsequently assigned to the Marine detachment aboard the cruiser USS ''Pennsylvania'' and later served aboard the heavy cruiser USS ''Salt Lake City''. Wade was transferred to the

4th Marine Regiment The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Mission Close with and destroy the enemy by ...

under Colonel John C. Beaumont and sailed for China in 1935. He was stationed in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

and participated in the defense of the

Shanghai International Settlement The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the merger in the year 1863 of the British and American enclaves in Shanghai, in which British subjects and American citizens would enjoy extraterritoriality and consular jurisdict ...

. During his service there, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in 1936. Wade returned to the United States during 1937 and was assigned to the Marine barracks 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 State ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, and following two years of service there, he was promoted to the rank of captain in 1939 and assigned to the Junior Course at Amphibious Warfare School within Marine Corps Schools at Quantico Base.

World War II

Upon his graduation from the Amphibious Warfare School in 1940, Wade was appointed commanding officer of the Marine detachment aboard the cruiser USS ''Louisville''. While aboard this vessel, he participated in the raids at

Bismarck Archipelago The Bismarck Archipelago (, ) is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. Its area is about 50,000 square km. History The first inhabitants o ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its ca ...

. Wade was promoted to the rank of major in May 1942 and ordered back to the United States for instruction at

Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

. He returned to the

South Pacific Area The South Pacific Area (SOPAC) was a multinational U.S.-led military command active during World War II. It was a part of the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas under Admiral Chester Nimitz. The delineation and establishment of the Pacific Ocean Areas was ...

in December 1942 and assigned to the intelligence section on staff of the

I Marine Amphibious Corps The I Marine Amphibious Corps, or I MAC, was a formation of the United States Marine Corps. It was created on 1 October 1942, with most of the staff transferred from Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet (ACPF). It was then deployed to the South Pacific ...

(IMAC) under Major General

Clayton Barney Vogel Clayton Barney Vogel (September 18, 1882 – November 26, 1964) was a United States Marine Corps officer with the rank of major general who served in a variety of capacities from 1902 until 1946. He is best known for his support of the Navajo cod ...

. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in April 1943, and when IMAC was redesignated

III Amphibious Corps III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and d ...

under Major General

Roy Geiger General Roy Stanley Geiger (January 25, 1885 – January 23, 1947) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served in World War I and World War II. In World War II, he became the first Marine Corps general to lead a field army. Gei ...

in April 1944, he participated in the planning and execution of the

Bougainville Campaign The Bougainville campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan, named after the island of Bougainville. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allie ...

Landing on Emirau The Landing on Emirau was the last of the series of operations that made up Operation Cartwheel, General Douglas MacArthur's strategy for the encirclement of the major Japanese base at Rabaul. A force of nearly 4,000 United States Marines l ...

, Recapture of Guam or

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

. For his service in this capacity, Wade was decorated with the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with

Combat "V" Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

Later service

Wade returned to the United States in October 1945 and was assigned to the Marine Corps Schools at Marine Base Quantico as officer in charge of the intelligence section. He was subsequently transferred to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in August 1947 and attached to the Joint Logistic Plans Group within

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and t ...

. In this capacity, Wade participated in the basic war plans work and also in the staff support for Joint Intelligence Committee, Joint Strategic Plans Committee and Joint Logistics Plans Committee. While served in this assignment, he was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge ...

in August 1949. Colonel Wade was transferred to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

in August 1950 and assigned as assistant intelligence officer of the

Fleet Marine Force Pacific The United States Fleet Marine Force, Pacific (FMFPAC) is the largest maritime landing force in the world. Its units are spread across the Pacific Ocean and reports to the United States Pacific Command. It is headquartered at MCB Camp H. M ...

under Lieutenant General

Lemuel C. Shepherd Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr. (February 10, 1896 – August 6, 1990) was a four-star general of the United States Marine Corps. A veteran of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, he was the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps. As Com ...

. However, Korean War brought him to the command of the

in October 1951, when he relieved Colonel

Thomas A. Wornham Thomas Andrews Wornham (December 12, 1903 – December 17, 1984) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general. He is most noted for his service as commanding officer of the 27th Marin ...

. Wade subsequently led the regiment during the fighting on the East Central Front and later on Western Front and received his second

with

. He remained in Korea until the beginning of April 1952, when he was ordered back to the United States. During his service in Korea, Wade also received

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

and

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 ene ...

. Wade subsequently attended

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Co ...

, and following the graduation in 1953, he remained in Washington, D.C. and was attached to the

Headquarters Marine Corps 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 function, ...

as head of the Plans Branch within Operations and Plans Division there. After two years of service in that capacity, Wade was transferred to

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east a ...

, as senior member of the Advanced Research Group. This group of ten colonels for a year to develop recommendations on how to the

Marine air-ground task force Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF, pronounced MAG-TAF) is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined ar ...

should evolve structurally to meet the challenges of atomic warfare and new technologies such as helicopters and high-speed aircraft. Another staff assignment came in June 1956, when he was attached to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, as assistant to the director of Long Range objectives group, Rear Admiral

Roy L. Johnson Roy Lee Johnson (March 18, 1906 – March 20, 1999) was a highly decorated four-star Admiral in the United States Navy. A Naval Academy graduate, he trained as Naval aviator and distinguished himself as Air Group Commander during several World W ...

. While still serving in this capacity, he was promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

in May 1957. He subsequently relieved Brigadier General Jack P. Juhan in July 1957 as commanding general of the Force Troops,

based at

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilmi ...

. In this capacity, he was responsible for all independent units under FMFLANT such as support artillery units, antiaircraft artillery units, military police battalions, separate engineer units and other miscellaneous force units of the

Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT) is an American maritime landing force that is spread across the Atlantic Ocean. It is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk and directs and commands all the subordinate elements of the Navy Expeditiona ...

. However following the

Lebanese Lebanese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Lebanese Republic * Lebanese people The Lebanese people ( ar, الشعب اللبناني / ALA-LC: ', ) are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may al ...

political crisis caused by political and religious tensions in the country in July 1958, President

Camille Chamoun Camille Nimr Chamoun OM, ONC ( ar, كميل نمر شمعون, ''Kamīl Sham'ūn''; 3 April 1900 – 7 August 1987) was a Lebanese politician who served as President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958. He was one of the country's main Chris ...

had requested the military assistance, which President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

approved and responded by authorizing Operation Blue Bat on July 15, 1958. The United States subsequently sent approximately 14,000 men, including 5,670 officers and men of the

, which were formed to the 2nd Provisional Marine Force. General Wade was subsequently appointed commanding general of that Force and sailed to

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, where he went ashore in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

and remained in command of all marine forces throughout the crisis. For his meritorious service during the crisis, Wade was decorated with Navy Distinguished Service Medal. He also received the

Stephen Decatur Award Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

for Operational Excellence from the

Navy League of the United States The Navy League of the United States, commonly referred to as the Navy League, is a national association with nearly 50,000 members who advocate for a strong, credible United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard and ...

. General Wade returned to

at the beginning of October 1958 and relieved Brigadier General

Randall M. Victory Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community *Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city *Randall, Minnesota ...

as assistant division commander of the

2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeu ...

stationed there. He relieved Major General

James P. Riseley James Profit Riseley (May 7, 1898 – March 2, 1992) was a decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps, who reached the rank of lieutenant general. He is most noted as commanding officer of the 6th Marine Regiment during World War II. H ...

as commanding general of the

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilmingt ...

in July 1959 and remained in this capacity until October 1960. Meanwhile, he was promoted to the rank of

in July 1960. He was transferred to the

, as assistant chief of staff (G-3), the staff officer in charge of plans and operations. This duty was terminated in September 1961, when he was transferred to

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym ...

as Marine Corps liaison officer in the Office of the

Vice Chief of Naval Operations The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer in the Department of the Navy and functions as the principal deputy of the chief of naval operations and by statute, the vice chief ...

, Admiral

Claude V. Ricketts Claude Vernon Ricketts (February 23, 1906 – July 6, 1964) was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, who served as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1961 to 1964. Biography Ricketts graduated from high school in Kansas in 19 ...

. He was succeeded by Brigadier General Henry W. Buse. On 15 February 1962, Major General Wade was transferred to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, and assumed command of the

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot (commonly referred to as MCRD) San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and t ...

. He was subsequently transferred to

in November 1963 and appointed deputy commander to the commanding general

, Lieutenant General Carson A. Roberts. In this capacity he was co-responsible for 200,000 men under his command. Wade subsequently moved to

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, Japan in June 1965 and was appointed Deputy Commander III Marine Amphibious Corps (Forward). In this capacity he participated in the support activities of the Marine Forces in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

. Wade later received his third

. Wade returned to the United States in April 1966 and served briefly as deputy commander of

under Lieutenant General Alpha L. Bowser, before he was appointed deputy chief of staff of commander in chief Atlantic Fleet, Admiral

Thomas H. Moorer Thomas Hinman Moorer (February 9, 1912 – February 5, 2004) was an admiral and naval aviator in the United States Navy who served as the chief of naval operations from 1967 to 1970, and as the seventh chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from ...

. He served in this capacity until his retirement from the Marine Corps on November 3, 1967. He subsequently settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico, together with his wife, Doris Edwards and died on November 24, 2002. They had a son, Sidney Scott Wade, Jr., and a daughter, Annetta Wade Williams. In accordance with the wish of General Wade, there was no memorial service.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Major General Sidney S. Wade:

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Sidney S. 1909 births 2002 deaths People from Bloomington, Illinois United States Naval Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Illinois