Willard Woodward Keith, Jr. (June 13, 1920 – November 3, 1942) 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 ...

infantry officer who was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

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 ...

for his heroic leadership 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 ...

in the

Matanikau Offensive The Matanikau Offensive, from 1–4 November 1942, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of the Matanikau, was an engagement between United States (U.S.) Marine and Army and Imperial Japanese Army forces around the Matanikau River and P ...

of the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...

. Two cancelled

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

s and the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

USS ''Willard Keith'' (DD-775) were named in his honor.

Biography

Willard Woodward Keith, Jr. was born on June 13, 1920 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 ...

to Adeline Norine (née Donnelly) Keith and Willard Woodward Keith, Sr. H His father was the Southern California Director of Civilian Defense. Keith, Jr. graduated from

Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills High School (shortly as BHHS or Beverly) is a public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills is Moreno High School, a small alternative school located on Beverly Hills High School's c ...

in 1937, and from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1941. He joined the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...

on April 18, 1939, and served in the enlisted ranks until he received an

honorable discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and the ...

on November 3, 1940, to take an appointment as a 2nd lieutenant in the Reserves on the following day. Keith was called to

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. Indian The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...

on February 20, 1941, then attended

Marine Raiders The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry warfare. Despite the original intent for Raiders to serve ...

training on the east coast. He married Peggy Winchell on August 6, 1941 in Washington, DC. He remained in the States until his unit was transferred to the

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

in the spring of 1942 during the build up for the first Allied offensive in that

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

— the

Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during the Pacific Theater of W ...

. He was with the first unit to land on Guadalcanal for the battle, initially serving on the staff of the commander of the

landing party A landing party is a portion of a ship's crew designated to go ashore from the ship and take ground, by force if necessary. In the landing party promulgated by the US Navy 1950 Landing Party Manual, the party was to be equipped with small arms � ...

, then being assigned to the assault forces of the

ground combat element In the United States Marine Corps, the ground combat element (GCE) is the land force of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). It provides power projection and force for the MAGTF. Role within the MAGTF The ground combat element (GCE), composed p ...

. He landed with the Marines at

Tulagi Tulagi, less commonly known as Tulaghi, is a small island in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule. The town of the same name on the island (pop. 1,750) was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 1896 t ...

on Solomon Islands on August 7, 1942, during the Battle of Tulagi toward the end of the Japanese Tulagi campaign. His unit then became part of the invasion force of the Guadalcanal campaign. Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, Keith led Company G,

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines 2nd Battalion 5th Marines (2/5 or "Two Five") is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 marines and sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the com ...

in the initial phase of the Guadalcanal Campaign. By autumn, the campaign was still a hard-fought one. In an offensive aimed against Japanese

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

positions sited beyond the

Matanikau River The Matanikau River of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, is located in the northwest part of the island. During the World War II Guadalcanal campaign, several significant engagements occurred between United States and Japanese forces near the river ...

and within range of the important Henderson Field airstrip, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines was assigned to the left flank position. During the November offensive, a period known as "Critical November" to the allied forces for its importance to the larger campaign in the Pacific theater, the Marines launched a coordinated assault using air, ground and maritime forces against a Japanese stronghold at

Kokumbona Kokumbona (also Kakambona) is a village on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It was a Japanese base during World War II and the site of a United States Marine Corps amphibious landing on 19 August 1942. Located on Guadalcanal's n ...

. On November 2, during the Fourth Battle of the Matanikau, the Marines pushed the Japanese forces to the beach near

Point Cruz Point Cruz is a peninsula in the center of Honiara, on Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal Island. Honiara is the capital city of the Solomon Islands. Point Cruz is located on the Tandai Highway, and is ¼ mile north of the Solomon Islands National Parliamen ...

. That afternoon, Captain Keith led his company against a Japanese strong-point that was entrenched on high ground and concealed by heavy jungle growth. The defending Japanese forces were reinforced with heavy machine guns. Realizing that neither

mortar Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...

nor artillery fire could reach the Japanese positions, determined to evict the Japanese, Keith initiated successive

bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

and

hand grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

charges in the face of heavy fire. The Marines under his leadership continued the attack and drove the Japanese forces from their stronghold.Hoffman, Jon T. ''Once a Legend: "Red Mike" Edson of the Marine Raiders'',

Presidio Press Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. Ballantine was acquired by Random House in 1 ...

, 1994, page 229. . Although the Japanese forces were annihilated, Keith was struck in the head by a bullet and killed instantly. During the battle, he was interred near the Matanikau River and he is listed as unaccounted for. Later, Colonel

Merritt A. Edson Merritt Austin Edson, Sr. (April 25, 1897 – August 14, 1955), known as "Red Mike", was a major general in the United States Marine Corps, First President of the Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation and First Commissioner of the Vermont Depar ...

, the commander of

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 recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

, said he took pride in the type of leadership displayed in Captain Keith. For his heroic actions, Captain Willard W. Keith, Jr.

received the

for a "grim determination and aggressive devotion to duty" in keeping with the "highest traditions of the naval service." The

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine (military), Marine Division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine E ...

(Reinforced) – of which the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines was a part – received the Presidential Unit Citation. Keith was survived by his wife, Peggy Keith, who was an artist for the ''Los Angeles Times''.

Navy Cross citation

Namesakes

The destroyer escort USS ''Willard Keith'' (DE-754) was named for him, but was cancelled during construction in 1943.ref name=DANFS-775/> Another destroyer escort, USS ''Willard Keith'' (DE-314) then was named for him, but in 1944 was also cancelled during construction. Finally, USS ''Willard Keith'' (DD-775), an ''Allen M. Sumner''-class destroyer, was named in his honor as a recognized war hero.ref name=DANFS-775/> The destroyer was in

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

from 1944 to 1972. The "Willard Memorial Terrace" garden was dedicated to him in the Main Quad at

. The Captain Willard W. Keith Detachment of the

Marine Corps League The Marine Corps League is the only congressionally chartered United States Marine Corps-related veterans organization in the United States. Its congressional charter was approved by the Seventy-fifth United States Congress, 75th U.S. Congress an ...

in Beverley Hills, California was named after him. There is also a memorial for him at the

Manila American Cemetery The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is a military cemetery located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. It can be reached most easily from the city via EDSA to McKinley Road, then to McKinley Parkway inside the Bonifacio Global City. The Lawton A ...

. Two Willard W. Keith, Jr. Fellowships in the Humanities were endowed at

Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, focused on science and engineering. It is part of the Claremont Colleges, which share adjoining campus grounds and resources. The college enrolled 902 undergra ...

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of Los Angeles. It lies in the Pomona Valley at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had ...

, in 1968 by Mr. and Mrs. Willard Keith, Sr. in honor of their son.

References

: : {{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Willard 1920 births 1942 deaths Beverly Hills High School alumni Missing in action of World War II Military personnel from Berkeley, California Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Stanford University alumni United States Marine Corps officers United States Marine Corps personnel killed in World War II United States Marine Corps reservists

Biography

Navy Cross citation

Namesakes

See also

References