Alexander A. Vandegrift

Alexander A. Vandegrift (born March 13, 1887, Charlottesville, Va., U.S.—died May 8, 1973, Bethesda, Md.) was a U.S. Marine Corps officer who led the first large-scale U.S. offensive against the Japanese, on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, during World War II. Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1909, Vandegrift had advanced to major general by 1942. Having served in Nicaragua, Haiti, and China, he was prepared for the jungle-warfare techniques required in...