Dion Williams
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General
Dion Williams (December 15, 1869 – December 11, 1952) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps
. He was the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
from August 1, 1925 — July 1, 1928. During his early career, Williams pioneered the first conceptual study of amphibious reconnaissance
in the United States
and becoming one of the strongest advocates in having the Marine Corps
assume the amphibious, expeditionary
role. During his career, he fought guerrillas in the Philippines
and Dominic Republic during the Spanish-American War
.
Williams is credited in the persuasion of Admiral Dewey in 1907 to assert Congress that "a force of 5,000 Marines with a Fleet" would have ensued the Philippine–American War following the Spanish defeat. This 'force' was the first of the doctrinal sequence of the establishment of the Advanced Base Force
, its titulage American Expeditionary Force
and subsequently its modern namesake, Fleet Marine Force
.
Williams retired from the Marine Corps in 1934, spending the rest of his life in Maryland
.
on December 15, 1869.
He graduated from the United States Naval Academy
where he received his early education until entering the Naval Academy and graduated on June 30, 1891.
After completing the required 2-year sea duty aboard the USS Atlanta
as a midshipman for two years, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant
in the United States Marine Corps
on July 1, 1893 and attended the School of Application before he served at the Marine Barracks, New York and the Marine Barracks, Mare Island
until 1897.
He was married to Helen Mar Ames on February 20, 1895.
He participated in the Battle of Manila Bay while serving aboard the USS Baltimore
' on May 1, 1898 under Admiral
George Dewey
. Lt. Williams landed a company of Marines at a Spanish naval arsenal yard
at Cavite
in the Philippine Islands, securing the naval station, and hoisting the first American flag raised over Spanish soil in the Spanish-American War
.
Williams served duty at Marine Barracks, Charlston before being called out for a minor revolt in Panama
1902 to command a detachment of Marines sent to disarm Colombian troops threatening the Americans.
He continued serving two more years in various engagements of the Philippine–American War after which he served as Fleet Marine Officer of the Atlantic Fleet from 1902-04.
In March 1905, Major Williams reported to the Naval War College for two years. By 1906, Williams wrote a study, Naval Reconnaissance, Instructions for the Reconnaissance of Bays, Harbors, and Adjacent Country, which eventually became the first doctrine in United States' history concerning the pertinent missions of amphibious reconnaissance. He focused primarily on the establishment and employment of an assault force specialized in conducting preassault reconnaissance. Many of the reconnaissance ideas advanced in his studies surpassed and were eventually incorporated in the Tentative Manual for Landing Operations developed in 1934.
He was assigned the Fleet Marine Officer of the United States Fleet
from 1907-09 until after his tour of duty with the staff of the Office of Naval Intelligence
from 1909-12.
He commanded the American Legation Guard at Peking, China (1912–15) and then became the Marine Corps' representative to the General Board of the Navy from 1915–18, before being assigned as the commanding officer of 10th Marine Regiment at MCB Quantico
where he remained to prepare his regiment for combat duty in France
during World War I
, 1917-18.
Afterwards, Williams became the commanding officer of 2nd Provisional Marine Brigade for pacification duty in the Dominican Republic
. Returning to MCB Quantico in 1921, he assumed command of the 4th Marine Brigade as part of the East Coast Expeditionary Force participating in the ongoing advanced base
exercises
held by the Navy's
North Atlantic Fleet
on Culebra
.
During the 1924 Winter Maneuvers, he witnessed the first use of an experimental 'amphibious' tank being mounted a 75-mm gun
, as well as the "beetle boats" uses as amphibious transports.
After his tour of duty with the 4th Brigade ended, Williams became assistant to the Marine Commandant
in 1928. General Williams was in command of the Marine Occupation Force in Nicaragua from April 1929 through 1930. He became editor of the Marine Corps Gazette
while he remained on duty at Headquarters Marine Corps
until his retirement on January 1, 1934.
Despite his retirement, Williams remained active, authoring several articles on officer professional education and the curriculum at Marine Corps Schools, and participating in Marine Corps affairs. In January 1942, he participated in a ceremony at Annapolis, Maryland
, where the same flag is now enshrined. It was just after evacuation of the Cavite Naval Base to the Japanese.
Williams died on December 11, 1952 at the age of 82, a few days before his birthday, after an illness of several months at the Naval Medical Center at nearby Bethesda, Maryland near the District of Columbia. Brigadier General Williams was buried with full military honors
on December 15, 2008 in Arlington National Cemetery
; and was survived by his widow, Helen.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Dion Williams (December 15, 1869 – December 11, 1952) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps
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...
. He was the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps is the second highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps, and serves as a deputy for the Commandant of the Marine Corps...
from August 1, 1925 — July 1, 1928. During his early career, Williams pioneered the first conceptual study of amphibious reconnaissance
Amphibious reconnaissance
The concept of amphibious reconnaissance, or commonly amphib recon, are used primarily in conjunction with ground and naval reconnaissance concerning the littoral area bordering coastal or maritime areas of interests...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and becoming one of the strongest advocates in having the Marine Corps
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...
assume the amphibious, expeditionary
Blue-water navy
The term blue-water navy is a colloquialism used to describe a maritime force capable of operating across the deep waters of open oceans. While what actually constitutes such a force remains undefined, there is a requirement for the ability to exercise sea control at wide ranges...
role. During his career, he fought guerrillas in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Dominic Republic during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
.
Williams is credited in the persuasion of Admiral Dewey in 1907 to assert Congress that "a force of 5,000 Marines with a Fleet" would have ensued the Philippine–American War following the Spanish defeat. This 'force' was the first of the doctrinal sequence of the establishment of the Advanced Base Force
Advanced Base Force
The United States Marine Corps's Advanced Base Force was a coastal and naval base defense force that was designed to set up mobile and fixed bases in the event of major landing operations within, and beyond, the territorial United States...
, its titulage American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
and subsequently its modern namesake, Fleet Marine Force
Fleet Marine Force
The United States Fleet Marine Forces are combined general and special purpose forces within the United States Department of the Navy that are designed in engaging offensive amphibious or expeditionary warfare and defensive maritime employment...
.
Williams retired from the Marine Corps in 1934, spending the rest of his life in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Biography
Dion Williams was born in Williamsburg, OhioWilliamsburg, Ohio
Williamsburg is a village in Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,490 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Williamsburg is located at ....
on December 15, 1869.
He graduated from the United States 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...
where he received his early education until entering the Naval Academy and graduated on June 30, 1891.
After completing the required 2-year sea duty aboard the USS Atlanta
USS Atlanta (1884)
The second USS Atlanta was a protected cruiser and one of the first steel warships of the "New Navy" of the 1880s.Atlanta was laid down on 8 November 1883 at Chester, Pennsylvania by John Roach & Sons; launched on 9 October 1884; sponsored by Miss Jessie Lincoln, the daughter of Secretary of War...
as a midshipman for two years, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the United States Marine Corps
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...
on July 1, 1893 and attended the School of Application before he served at the Marine Barracks, New York and the Marine Barracks, Mare Island
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
until 1897.
He was married to Helen Mar Ames on February 20, 1895.
He participated in the Battle of Manila Bay while serving aboard the USS Baltimore
USS Baltimore (C-3)
The fourth USS Baltimore was a United States Navy cruiser, the second protected cruiser to be built by an American yard. Like the previous one, , the design was commissioned from the British company of W...
' on May 1, 1898 under Admiral
Admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
George Dewey
George Dewey
George Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War...
. Lt. Williams landed a company of Marines at a Spanish naval arsenal yard
U.S. Naval Station Sangley Point
Naval Station Sangley Point was a communication and hospital facility of the United States Navy which occupied the northern portion of the Cavite City peninsula and is surrounded by Manila Bay, approximately eight miles southwest of Manila, the Philippines. The station was a part of the Cavite...
at Cavite
Cavite City
The City of Cavite is a fourth class city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. The city occupies a hook shaped peninsula jutting out into Manila Bay. Cavite City used to be the capital of the province...
in the Philippine Islands, securing the naval station, and hoisting the first American flag raised over Spanish soil in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
.
Williams served duty at Marine Barracks, Charlston before being called out for a minor revolt in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
1902 to command a detachment of Marines sent to disarm Colombian troops threatening the Americans.
He continued serving two more years in various engagements of the Philippine–American War after which he served as Fleet Marine Officer of the Atlantic Fleet from 1902-04.
In March 1905, Major Williams reported to the Naval War College for two years. By 1906, Williams wrote a study, Naval Reconnaissance, Instructions for the Reconnaissance of Bays, Harbors, and Adjacent Country, which eventually became the first doctrine in United States' history concerning the pertinent missions of amphibious reconnaissance. He focused primarily on the establishment and employment of an assault force specialized in conducting preassault reconnaissance. Many of the reconnaissance ideas advanced in his studies surpassed and were eventually incorporated in the Tentative Manual for Landing Operations developed in 1934.
He was assigned the Fleet Marine Officer of the United States Fleet
United States Fleet
The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The abbreviation CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet. This title was disposed of and officially replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 . This...
from 1907-09 until after his tour of duty with the staff of the Office of Naval Intelligence
Office of Naval Intelligence
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...
from 1909-12.
He commanded the American Legation Guard at Peking, China (1912–15) and then became the Marine Corps' representative to the General Board of the Navy from 1915–18, before being assigned as the commanding officer of 10th Marine Regiment at MCB Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...
where he remained to prepare his regiment for combat duty in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 1917-18.
Afterwards, Williams became the commanding officer of 2nd Provisional Marine Brigade for pacification duty in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. Returning to MCB Quantico in 1921, he assumed command of the 4th Marine Brigade as part of the East Coast Expeditionary Force participating in the ongoing advanced base
Advanced Base Force
The United States Marine Corps's Advanced Base Force was a coastal and naval base defense force that was designed to set up mobile and fixed bases in the event of major landing operations within, and beyond, the territorial United States...
exercises
Fleet Landing Exercises
The Fleet Landing Exercises, or FLEX were a series of annual large-scale amphibious landings exercises conducted to test the United States Marine Corps' legitimation of the Fleet Marine Force...
held by the Navy's
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
North Atlantic Fleet
North Atlantic Squadron
The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic Squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the North Atlantic Fleet. On Jan...
on Culebra
Culebra
Culebra may refer to:* Culebra, Puerto Rico, an island* Isla Culebra, the Spanish name of Sedge Island, part of the Falkland archipelago* Culebra Peak, the southernmost fourteener in Colorado, United States...
.
During the 1924 Winter Maneuvers, he witnessed the first use of an experimental 'amphibious' tank being mounted a 75-mm gun
75 mm Gun (US)
The US 75 mm gun tank gun M2 and the later M3 were the standard American tank guns of the Second World War.Besides use on the two main American medium tanks of the war the M3 Lee and the M4 Sherman . The lightweight M6 and M5 variants were developed to equip the Light Tank M24 and the B-25...
, as well as the "beetle boats" uses as amphibious transports.
After his tour of duty with the 4th Brigade ended, Williams became assistant to the Marine Commandant
Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
in 1928. General Williams was in command of the Marine Occupation Force in Nicaragua from April 1929 through 1930. He became editor of the Marine Corps Gazette
Marine Corps Gazette
Marine Corps Gazette is a professional journal for U.S. Marines founded in 1916 at Marine Corps Base Quantico for members of the United States Marine Corps. Begun by then Col John A. Lejeune as the vehicle to launch the Marine Corps Association , the journal is known as "The Professional Journal...
while he remained on duty at Headquarters Marine Corps
Headquarters Marine Corps
Headquarters Marine Corps is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions...
until his retirement on January 1, 1934.
Despite his retirement, Williams remained active, authoring several articles on officer professional education and the curriculum at Marine Corps Schools, and participating in Marine Corps affairs. In January 1942, he participated in a ceremony at Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, where the same flag is now enshrined. It was just after evacuation of the Cavite Naval Base to the Japanese.
Williams died on December 11, 1952 at the age of 82, a few days before his birthday, after an illness of several months at the Naval Medical Center at nearby Bethesda, Maryland near the District of Columbia. Brigadier General Williams was buried with full military honors
Military funeral
A military funeral is a specially orchestrated funeral given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards of honor, the firing of volley shots as a salute,...
on December 15, 2008 in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
; and was survived by his widow, Helen.
See also
- Amphibious warfareAmphibious warfareAmphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
- Marine Corps GazetteMarine Corps GazetteMarine Corps Gazette is a professional journal for U.S. Marines founded in 1916 at Marine Corps Base Quantico for members of the United States Marine Corps. Begun by then Col John A. Lejeune as the vehicle to launch the Marine Corps Association , the journal is known as "The Professional Journal...