Charles A. Doyen
Encyclopedia
Charles Augustus Doyen was an officer in the United States Marine Corps
.
, BGen. Doyen was a member of the Naval Academy
class of 1881, later commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He organized and commanded the 5th Marine Regiment in World War I, and in France took command of the 4th Brigade, 2d Division, composed of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments and the 6th Gun Battalion. From 26 October to 8 November 1917, he served as Commanding General, US 2d Division(RA), the first Marine officer to command a US Army division. His devoted service broke his health, and he was forced to return to the United States, where he died on 6 October 1918. But the 4th Brigade went on to win a historic victory in Belleau Wood
. BGen. Doyen's contribution to these victories was recognized by the posthumous award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
, the first to ever be awarded.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
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Biography
Born in Concord, New HampshireConcord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, BGen. Doyen was a member of the Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
class of 1881, later commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He organized and commanded the 5th Marine Regiment in World War I, and in France took command of the 4th Brigade, 2d Division, composed of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments and the 6th Gun Battalion. From 26 October to 8 November 1917, he served as Commanding General, US 2d Division(RA), the first Marine officer to command a US Army division. His devoted service broke his health, and he was forced to return to the United States, where he died on 6 October 1918. But the 4th Brigade went on to win a historic victory in Belleau Wood
Belleau Wood
Belleau Wood may refer to:* The Battle of Belleau Wood, near Château-Thierry, France, the scene of heavy fighting by U.S. Marines in World War I* USS Belleau Wood, two United States Navy ships that have been named after the Battle:...
. BGen. Doyen's contribution to these victories was recognized by the posthumous award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919. The decoration is the Navy and Marine Corps equivalent to the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the Coast...
, the first to ever be awarded.