Verne J. McCaul

Verne James McCaul
Born	(1903-08-18)August 18, 1903 Ayr, North Dakota
Died	March 2, 1968(1968-03-02) (aged 64) U.S. Naval Hospital San Diego, California
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1925–1960
Rank	Lieutenant general
Service number	0-3987
Commands held	Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Midway Philippines Campaign (1944–45) Korean War
Awards	Legion of Merit (2)

Verne James McCaul (August 18, 1903—March 2, 1968) was a lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who served as the Director of Aviation and the 7th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Early years

McCaul was born on August 18, 1903, in Ayr, North Dakota, and after joining the Marine Corps participated in World War II. He was commissioned in 1925 and subsequently became a naval aviator.

Major McCaul established Marine Fighting Squadron 221 at San Diego in 1941 and took the unit to Midway Island by year end. On Midway, he joined the staff of Marine Air Group 22, then returned to the U.S. He saw additional Pacific service in the Solomon Islands and the Philippines, where he assumed command of Marine Air Group 12 in early 1945.

After the war, McCaul was promoted to brigadier general, serving in USMC Headquarters. Subsequently, he commanded the 1st and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wings and in 1957 he became the Director of Aviation.

By the time McCaul retired in 1960, he had achieved the rank of lieutenant general. He died on March 2, 1968, at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, California.

Awards and decorations

During his military career, he was awarded: Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and Gold Star in lieu of a second award, Presidential Unit Citation with one bronze star in lieu of a second award, the Navy Unit Commendation, the American Defense Service Medal with Base clasp, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the China Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one bronze star, and the Chinese Order of the Cloud and Banner.

Naval Aviator Badge
1st Row	Legion of Merit with one Gold Star and Combat "V"
2nd Row	Navy Presidential Unit Citation with two Stars				Navy Unit Commendation				American Defense Service Medal with Base Clasp
3rd Row	American Campaign Medal				Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars				China Service Medal
4th Row	World War II Victory Medal				National Defense Service Medal				Korean Service Medal
5th Row	Order of the Cloud and Banner (Republic of China)				Philippine Liberation Medal with one star				United Nations Korea Medal

See also

• List of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing commanders

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

• "Lieutenant General Verne J. McCaul, USMC". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marie Corps. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2009.