Samuel R. Shaw

Samuel Robert Shaw (June 6, 1911 – April 4, 1989) was a decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. He is most noted for his service as commanding officer, 6th Pioneer Battalion during Battle of Okinawa. Shaw later served as advisor to President John F. Kennedy in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Shaw was also a member of so-called "Chowder Society", special Marine Corps Board, which was tasked to conduct research and prepare material relative to postwar legislation concerning the role of the Marine Corps in national defense.

Early career

Samuel R. Shaw was born on June 6, 1911, in Cleveland, Ohio, as the son of William Henry and Ella Kenner Shaw. He attended the high school in Dayton, Ohio, and entered the Marine Corps service in September 1928 and following boot camp, he served two years as enlisted man until he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in July 1930. During his time at the academy, Shaw was active in football, basketball and track.

He graduated on May 31, 1934, and was commissioned second lieutenant on the same date. As any other newly commissioned marine officer, he was ordered to the Basic School at Philadelphia Navy Yard for additional officer training, which he completed in June of the following year. Shaw was then attached to the Marine detachment aboard the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa and participated in Fleet Problem XVII, taking place off the west coast of the United States, Central America, and the Panama Canal Zone.

Quote|text=The boat guards were in place, and the music was out there, and the old and new officer of the day. And we had a music, and a hell of a fine sergeant bugler who had been in Shanghai. He would stand beside the officers of the day, and there came the airplanes, and he looked up and he said, "Captain, those are Japanese war planes." And one of the two of them said, "My God, they are, sound the call to arms." So the bugler started sounding the call to arms before the first bomb hit. Of course they had already started taking out the machine guns. They didn't wait for the key in the Officer of the Day's office, they just broke the door down and hauled out the machine guns, put them in position. Everybody that wasn't involved in that drill grabbed their rifles and ran out in the parade ground, and started firing at the airplanes. They must have had several hundred men out there with rifles. And every [Japanese] plane that was recovered there, or pieces of it, had lots of 30-caliber holes – somebody was hitting them, machine guns or rifles. Then I remembered – here we had all these guys on the post who had not been relieved, and they had been posted at 4 o'clock, and come 9 o'clock, 9:30 they not only had not been relieved but had no chow and no water. So I got hold of the mess sergeant and told him to organize, to go around to the posts. They had a depot. At the beginning it was a supply depot. I told him to send a party over there and draw a lot of canteens and make sandwiches, and we'd send water and sandwiches around to he guys on posts until we found out some way to relieve all these guys, and get people back. Then he told me that it was fine except that he didn't have nearly enough messmen, they were all out in the parade ground shooting. I think the second phase of planes came in at that time and we had a hell of an uproar.

Shaw assumed command of 6th Pioneer Battalion and after few months of training, he sailed for Okinawa in March 1945 and after few weeks in staging area at Ulithi, a little atoll in the Caroline Islands, he led his unit ashore on April 1, 1945. The 6th Pioneer battalion was responsible for the securing of the logistical support on time, because arrival of supplies and equipment on landing beaches piled high and could lead to congestion and confusion. Shaw distinguished himself in this capacity and received the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" for his work.

Later career Shaw receives Legion of Merit from General Shepherd for his service with 6th Pioneer Battalion at Okinawa. Following the Okinawa campaign, 6th Marine Division was stationed on Guam until October 1945, when they received orders for new mission. They were ordered to China in order to assist with the repatriation of more than 600,000 Japanese and Koreans, who remained in China after the end of World War II, and the protection of American lives and property. Shaw landed with the battalion in Qingdao in Shandong and witnessed the surrender of the Japanese 5th Independent Mixed Brigade under Major General Eiji Nagano.

While in this assignment, Shaw had the opportunity to cooperate with great names of modern Marine history such as: Merrill B. Twining, Victor H. Krulak, Merritt A. Edson, Robert E. Hogaboom, James E. Kerr, James C. Murray, Jonas M. Platt, DeWolf Schatzel, James D. Hittle, Robert D. Heinl, Edward H. Hurst or Marine Corps Reserve officers John R. Blandford, Arthur B. Hanson, Lyford Hutchins, and William McCahill.

Shaw was transferred to Washington, D.C., in January 1949 for duty as research officer in the Organizational Research and Policy Division, Office of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations under Admiral Arthur W. Radford.

He was promoted to the rank of colonel in August 1949 and assumed duty as Shore Party Officer in the Engineer Section, Division of Plans and Policies, at Headquarters Marine Corps due to his experiences in World War II. Shaw later served as Chief of the Joint Action Panel in the Marine Corps, Division of Plans and Policies under Brigadier General Edwin A. Pollock and left Washington in February 1952.

He sailed for Korea in June 1954 and joined 1st Marine Division under Major General Robert E. Hogaboom as assistant chief of staff for logistics. However Armistice was already in effect and he saw no combat. Shaw participated in the guarding of Korean Demilitarized Zone until July 1955 and then returned to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington for duty as director, Policy Analysis Branch.

In June 1957, he was named deputy chief of staff, research and development, and promoted to the rank of brigadier general in November of that year. Shaw was transferred to Quantico in July 1958 and was appointed director of the Marine Corps Development Center there. In this capacity, he was responsible for the developing of Marine Corps warfighting abilities to enable the Corps to field combat-ready forces. Its responsibilities include doctrine, organization, training and education, requirements development, and leadership.

Shaw assumed duty as commanding general, Troop Training Unit, Pacific Fleet and was responsible for amphibious training of several marine and navy units within Pacific Fleet. He retired from the Marine Corps service on March 1, 1962, after 34 years of active service.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Brigadier General Samuel R. Shaw: