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At the Intersection of Vandegrift and Butler


Dirk
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Despite all its flaws, eBay is still a great place to find seemly unrelated items that when examined and supported with some background knowledge, links us to much larger historical personalities and events. Recently, I found a slightly worn copy of Marine Commandant and MOH winner Alexander Vandegrift's autobiography. Winning his MOH for actions on Guadalcanal, Vandegrift was, per a pre-War Marine I once interviewed, a very gruff and intimidating man whom he described as having "a look of cold steel when he was mad at you." Becoming Commandant in 1944, he lead the Corps through the end of WWII and then fought a tough campaign to keep the Corps from being dissolved. Knowing this, and that he served in China, I clicked on the item and found that it was inscribed by the General himself. While having his autograph is nice, by itself, is not a focus area of mine.

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But who he inscribed the book to does make it a bit more interesting....in this case he is referring to Tom "Dick" Butler. Someone whom General Vandegrift says in his inscription he has known all his life. Of course this "Tom Butler" is one of Smedley Butler's sons. As this book came out of SE PA where the Butler family lived, it makes sense that it would have been one of a myriad of small items that would have come from a estate sale, when the family sold the property. At that point the book, in most estate sellers hands, would have been just another used book to move.

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But here is the thing that pulled me in to a "buy it now". Inside was a 1909 set of signed orders from Marine Commandant Elliot to then Major Butler, then at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, ordering him to Sea Grit, New Jersey to become a member of a court martial board for a young 2Lt Alexander Vandegrift. Vandegrift, by his own admission, at the start of his career did not take his duties very seriously, and when he was late from liberty one night and allegedly gave a false statement, drew himself a court martial. The Corps, it seems had finally lost patience with the young Lieutenant. As relayed to me by a well versed Marine historian, Butler saw potential Vandegrift and argued for his retention. Vandegrift was found guilty of being absent without leave, but not of giving a false statement and was reduced five positions in rank but allowed to remain. In Vandegrift's book, he heaps praise on Butler in several chapters, but glosses over this initial encounter and instead chooses to introduce him when he served under more favorable conditions in Nicaragua.

 

Several of us have heard Gen Butler was a pack rat, who saved everything. Most likely he had this set of orders filed away in his papers, and his son at some point long after the generals passing pulled them out and placed them inside the book, showing us some tangible evidence of the the link between these two legendary Marines at a critical time in their careers: one well on his way to becoming a legend, and the other just gaining his feet as man who would one day be Commandant.

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Phenomenal find...gotta love when things fall out between pages!

 

I did not know about this early chapter of Vandegrift's career...very interesting tidbit, I bet you're right...the papers were found and a Butler thought it would be amusing to keep these items together...and now, together they make a great story!

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