[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S2255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    TRIBUTE TO LT. GEN. EDWARD CRAIG

  Mr. HEFLIN. Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute to one of 
the Marine Corps' most outstanding leaders, Lt. Gen. Edward Craig, who 
recently passed away.
  Lieutenant General Craig was born in Danbury, CT, in 1896. He later 
attended St. Johns Military Academy in Delafield, WI. Upon graduation 
from the academy in 1917, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in 
the Marine Corps, and reported for duty on August 23, 1917.
  In November 1917, he was assigned to duty with the 8th Marine 
Regiment, and in April 1919, was ordered to foreign shore duty in Haiti 
and later with the Second Provisional Brigade marines in the Dominican 
Republic.
  His overseas World War II commands began in the summer of 1943 when 
he was given command of the 9th Marine Regiment at Guadalcanal. He was 
my regimental commander. He inspired great confidence in his officers 
and men. He was a superb battle commander. He led this regiment in the 
Bougainville invasion that fall. While remaining the colonel in charge 
of this regiment, he was in the forefront in the liberation of Guam, 
for which he was awarded the Navy Cross. The last of his World War II 
involvements included service in the 5th Amphibious Corps in the fall 
of 1944. As the corps operations officer, Lieutenant General Craig 
designed and actually participated in the landing and assault on Iwo 
Jima in 1944. He returned to the United States from the Pacific in July 
1945.
  Following the end of World War II, he was again ordered overseas as 
assistant division commander of the 1st Marine Division, reinforced, in 
Tientsin, China.
  On June 1, 1947, he was assigned as commanding general, 1st 
Provisional Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, on Guam, where he 
remained for 2 years.
  When the Korean conflict began he was assigned to Korea and served as 
the commanding general of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and 
participated in fighting around the Pusan perimeter. He later served as 
assistant division commander of the 1st Marine Division and took part 
in the landing at Inchon and operations in northeast Korea.
  At the time of his retirement on June 1, 1951, he was the director of 
the Marine Corps Reserve and was a veteran of more than 33 years of 
Marine Corps service.
  All of his endeavors in the service led to many well-deserved medals 
and honors. They include the Navy Cross; the Distinguished Service 
Medal; the Silver Star Medal; the Legion of Merit; the Bronze Star 
Medal; and the Air Medal with Citation; and the Navy Unit Citation. His 
other decorations and medals include the Presidential Unit Citation; 
the Navy Unit Citation; two Korean Presidential Unit Citations; the 
Victory Medal; the Haitian Campaign Medal in 1919; the Marine Corps 
Expeditionary Medal with one Bronze Star, Dominican Republic 1919-21, 
and China 1924; the Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal, 1929-30; the 
American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp; the American Campaign 
Medal; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four Bronze Stars; the 
World War II Victory Medal; the China Service Medal, 1947, the Navy 
Occupational Medal, Japan 1946; and the Korean Campaign Medal.
  Memories of Lt. Gen. Edward Craig and his wife, Mrs. Marion Mackie 
Craig will always be with me. He was truly an American hero and a 
marine's marine.


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