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|serviceyears= 1909–1949 |rank= 24px General |commands=1st Marine Division I Marine Amphibious Corps Commandant of the Marine Corps |unit= |battles= Banana Wars *Battle of Cayotepe *Battle of Le Trou *Battle of Fort Capois Mexican Revolution *Battle of Veracruz World War II *Battle of Guadalcanal *Battle of Bougainville |awards=Medal of Honor Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal Companion of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom) Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom) Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands) Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) |laterwork= }} General Alexander Archer Vandegrift, USMC (March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973) was a General in the United States Marine Corps. He commanded the 1st Marine Division to victory in its first ground offensive of World War II, the Battle of Guadalcanal. For his actions during the Solomon Islands campaign, he received the Medal of Honor. Vandegrift later served as the 18th Commandant of the Marine Corps, and was the first U.S. Marine to hold the rank of four-star general while on active duty. ==Biography== Alexander Archer Vandegrift was born on March 13, 1887 in the small town of Charlottesville, Virginia where his father of Dutch descent was an architect and contractor. Young Vandegrift, known as "Archer" in his boyhood,〔 had an interest in the military – both from reading military history novels and from stories of ancestors who fought in various wars. He attended the University of Virginia for three years; then received his commission in the U.S. Marine Corps through a week-long competitive examination in 1908,〔 becoming a second lieutenant on January 22, 1909. While at the Marine Corps Schools in 1909 he wrote a prophetic article entitled "Aviation, the Cavalry of the Future". As Commandant, he appointed the Hogaboom Board, named for Major General Hogaboom, the chairman, that began the USMC's development of vertical envelopment, the use of helicopters for air assault. During his early years as a Second Lieutenant, General Vandegrift was also very nearly dismissed from the Marine Corps due to disciplinary infractions and negative evaluations.〔Archival Service Record of Alexander Vandegrift (Fitness Report Folder), Military Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri〕 In his first Marine Corps evaluation, dated June 30, 1909, Vandegrift received an overall rating of "Not Good" with these remarks from the Commander of the Marine Officers School. :''"This officer has not shown that he appreciates the responsibilities of his position as an officer, and unless there is a decisive improvement, his relations will not be to the advantage of the service." In Vandegrift's next evaluation, dated December 1909, he received a "Good and Tolerable" rating and next was rated as "Excellent" upon reporting to the Marine Corps Barracks, Navy Yard, Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1910.〔Fitness Reports of General Alexander Vandegrift (February 1909 – October 1910), Military Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alexander Vandegrift」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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