"Retired Marine Colonel Camp presents an excellent biography of the twentieth commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps... Camp has a “just the facts” style that keeps the action moving. Leatherneck Warrior is a concise look at a marine whose life touched many important points in modern American military history." ― Booklist Hero of Belleau Wood, Lemuel Shepherd was the living embodiment of a Marine Corps legend, for Belleau Wood was synonymous with Marine valor and sacrifice. At the age of just 22, after early graduation from Virginia Military Institute following the United States’ entry into World War I, Lemuel Shepherd was made a platoon commander in the 5th Regiment of Marines. His first challenge was to help screen and organize the many recruits needed to convert the company up to war strength. Within just a couple of weeks of reporting for duty, he was on a ship bound for Europe. He would participate in the Aisne-Marne offensive, facing machine guns at the famous battle of Belleau Wood, receiving the DSC and Navy Cross for his gallantry. There he was twice wounded. He returned to the front in August, seeing action in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives, being wounded for the third time. His career in the Marine Corps continued after the war, encompassing time as aide-de-camp to the commandant of the Marine Corps, duty in China and Haiti, and a period on the staff of Marine Corps Schools, Quantico. After the US entered World War II, Shepherd took command of the 9th Marine Regiment, training it and leading it overseas. Promoted to brigade command in July 1943, he served on Guadalcanal, then as assistant division commander in the Cape Gloucester operation. In May 1944, he assumed command of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and led them in the invasion and recapture of Guam. Finally, he commanded the 6th Marine Division through the battle of Okinawa, for which he received a Gold Star. He would command all Marines in the Pacific during the Korean War, and then in 1952 he was appointed as the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps, introducing a number of important policies that increased military proficiency for the corps. This new biography utilizes Shepherd’s oral history, a wide range of archival records from the Marine Corps History Division and the Virginia Military Institute, and a personal interview conducted by the author with General Shepherd in the 1980s, to give a fuller picture of the consummate “Leatherneck.” Table of Contents Prelude Chapter 1: Molding the Man Chapter 2: Developing the Warrior Chapter 3: First to Fight Chapter 4: Je Suis Americain Chapter 5: The Blooding Chapter 6: Bois de la Brigade de Marine (Belleau Wood) Chapter 7: Wounded in Action Chapter 8: St. Mihiel Offensive All American Offensive Chapter 9: Meise-Argonne, Blanc Mont (White Mountain) Chapter 10: Streets of New York Chapter 11: Mapping Belleau Wood Chapter 12: Inter War Years Chapter 13: Striking Ninth Chapter 14: The Green Inferno Chapter 15: 1st Marine Brigade Operation Stevedore Chapter 16: 6th Marine Division (Operation Iceberg) Chapter 17: North China Chapter 18: Assistant Commandant Chapter 19: Battle of the Potomac Chapter 20: Fleet Marine Force, Pacific Chapter 21: The Great Gamble Chapter 22: Attack of General Winter Chapter 23: 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps Chapter 24: Retirement Bibliography "Retired Marine Colonel Camp presents an excellent biography of the twentieth commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps... Camp has a “just the facts” style that keeps the action moving. Leatherneck Warrior is a concise look at a marine whose life touched many important points in modern American military history." Booklist “Camp’s biography is not just a recounting of historical events. It is a profound exploration of Shepherd’s character and contributions. Through detailed narratives and personal anecdotes from Shepherd’s oral history and journals, Leatherneck Warrior offers readers an inspiring testament to what it means to lead and serve with honor.” Roads to the Great War “All officers, regardless of service, would be well advised to study Lem Shepard. This book is a great start.” National Maritime Historical Society “The author, a retired Marine Corps colonel who interviewed Shephard, also used the general’s oral history and official Marine Corps archives to complete this in-depth biography.” Seapower Magazine Colonel Richard D. Camp, a Purple Heart recipient, served 26 years in the U.S. Marine Corps before retiring in 1988. Upon retirement he served as the Deputy Director, U.S. Marine Corps History Division and as the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, Vice President for Museum Operations at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico, Virginia. Currently residing in Fredericksburg, Virginia, he is the author of ten books and over 100 magazine articles on various military related subjects.