Samuel B. Griffith

Infobox Military Person
name= Samuel B. Griffith
born= birth date|1906|5|31
died= death date and age|1983|3|27|1906|5|31
placeofbirth= Lewiston, Pennsylvania
placeofdeath= Newport, Rhode Island
placeofburial=


caption= Samuel B. Griffith
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Marine Corps
serviceyears= 1929 – 1956
rank= Brigadier General
commands=1st Raider Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment U.S. Marine Forces, Tsingtao
unit=
battles=Banana Wars *Occupation of Nicaragua World War II *Guadalcanal campaign *Battle of New Georgia
awards= Navy Cross Distinguished Service Cross Purple Heart
relations=Brigidier General Samuel B. Griffith (May 31, 1906 - March 27, 1983), was an officer and commander in the United States Marine Corps. Griffith entered the Marines in 1929 after graduating from the United States Naval Academy. He served in and commanded Marine units in the Pacific theater of World War II and retired from service in 1956. After his retirement, Griffith authored several books and numerous articles on military history and lectured widely. He died on March 27, 1983 in Rhode Island.

Early life through World War II

Griffith was born May 31, 1906, in Lewiston, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1929, he accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Prior to World War II, he took part in the Second Nicaraguan Campaign, and served in China, Cuba, and England. During his first tour of duty in China, he was a language officer at the American Embassy in Beijing.

During World War II, following a period observing British commando training in England and Scotland, he returned to the 1st Marine Division and served as executive officer and later commander of the 1st Marine Raiders Battalion on Guadalcanal, and executive officer of the 1st Raider Regiment in operations on New Georgia. He earned the Navy Cross on Guadalcanal in September 1942 for “extreme heroism and courageous devotion to duty” during the fighting near the Matanikau River. During this action, Griffith suffered wounds for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. For his exploits in July in New Georgia, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. [History Division, USMC]

Post-war career

After participating in the post-World War II occupation of North China, where he commanded the 3rd Marine Regiment and later the U.S. Marine Forces in Qingdao, he was a student and then a faculty member at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport from 1947 to 1950. From 1951 to 1952, he was Chief of Staff, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, and from 1953 to 1956, General Griffith was on the staff of the U.S. Commander in Chief, Europe. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1956, after completing more than 25 years of active service. [History Division, USMC]

Post-retirement career

Following his retirement, General Griffith entered Oxford University (New College) and was awarded his D.Phil. in Chinese Military History in 1961. With an interest in China and the Chinese language dating back to pre-World War II days, he translated Sun Tzu’s "The Art of War" in 1963 and Mao Zedong’s "On Guerrilla War" in 1978. He also wrote the definitive "The Battle for Guadalcanal", "The Chinese People’s Liberation Army", and, his last major work, "In Defense of the Public Liberty", a book concerned with the Revolutionary War. He was a Research Fellow, China Study, at the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Institute for Defense Studies in London. General Griffith published widely in such journals as The New Yorker, Saturday Evening Post, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Town and Country (magazine), Marine Corps Gazette, and Foreign Affairs. He has also lectured widely at such establishments as the Armed Forces Staff College, United States Military Academy, Foreign Policy Association, and Marine Corps Schools. General Griffith was a life member of the 1st Marine Raider Association and the 1st Marine Division Association. He died "unexpectedly" on March 27, 1983 in Newport, Rhode Island. [History Division, USMC]

ee also

Works

*cite book
last =
first =
authorlink =
year = 1963
chapter =
title = Mao Tse-tung on Guerilla Warfare
publisher = Praeger Publishers
location =
id = ASIN: B000BWCGJ0
*cite book
last =
first =
authorlink =
year = 1963
chapter =
title = Sun Tzu: The Art of War
publisher = Oxford University Press
location =
id = ASIN: B000PT0BGY
*cite book
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1963
chapter =
title = The Battle for Guadalcanal
publisher = University of Illinois Press
location = Champaign, Illinois, USA
id = ISBN 0-252-06891-2
*cite book
last =
first =
authorlink =
year = 1974
chapter =
title = History of the Second Wold War
publisher = BPC Publishing
location = Hicksville, NY, USA
id =

References

Notes

Books

*cite book
last = Alexander
first = Joseph H.
coauthors =
year = 2000
title = Edson's Raiders: The 1st Marine Raider Battalion in World War II
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-020-7
*cite book
last = Frank
first = Richard
authorlink = Richard B. Frank
year = 1990
title = Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
publisher = Random House
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-394-58875-4
*cite book
last = Smith
first = Michael T.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2000
chapter =
title = Bloody Ridge: The Battle That Saved Guadalcanal
publisher = Pocket
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-7434-6321-8

Web

*cite web
last = History Division
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year =
month =
url = http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Whos_Who/Griffith_SB.htm
title = BRIGADIER GENERAL SAMUEL BLAIR GRIFFITH II, USMC (DECEASED)
format =
work = Who's Who in Marine Corps History
pages =
publisher = United States Marine Corps
language =
accessdate = 2006-03-19
accessyear =
*cite web
last = Hoffman
first = Jon T.
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year = 1995
month =
url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003130-00/index.htm
title = FROM MAKIN TO BOUGAINVILLE: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War
format = brochure
work = Marines in World War II Commemorative Series
pages =
publisher = Marine Corps Historical Center
language =
accessdate = 2006-03-19
accessyear =
*cite web
last = Hough
first = Frank O.
authorlink =
coauthors = Ludwig, Verle E., and Shaw, Henry I., Jr.
date =
year =
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/I/index.html
title = Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal
format =
work = History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II
pages =
publisher =
language =
accessdate = 2006-05-16
accessyear =
*cite web
last = Shaw
first = Henry I.
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year = 1992
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Guadalcanal/index.html
title = First Offensive: The Marine Campaign For Guadalcanal
format =
work = Marines in World War II Commemorative Series
pages =
publisher =
language =
accessdate = 2006-07-25
accessyear =
*cite web
last = Zimmerman
first = John L.
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year = 1949
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Guadalcanal.html
title = The Guadalcanal Campaign
format =
work = Marines in World War II Historical Monograph
pages =
publisher =
language =
accessdate = 2006-07-04
accessyear =