Tombstone Generals
The Act of Congress of March 4, 1925, allowed officers in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard to be promoted one grade upon retirement if they had been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat. Combat citation promotions were colloquially known as "tombstone promotions" because they conferred all the perks and prestige of the higher rank including the loftier title on their tombstones but no additional retirement pay. The Act of Congress of February 23, 1942, enabled tombstone promotions to three- and four-star grades. Tombstone promotions were subsequently restricted to citations issued before January 1, 1947, and finally eliminated altogether effective November 1, 1959. The practice was terminated in an effort to encourage senior officer retirements prior to the effective date of the change to relieve an overstrength in the senior ranks.
Any general who actually served in a grade while on active duty receives precedence on the retirement list over any tombstone general holding the same retired grade. Tombstone generals rank among each other according to the dates of their highest active duty grade.
The following list of tombstone generals is sortable by last name, date of rank as lieutenant general, date retired, and year commissioned.
| Name | Date of rank (LGEN) | Date retired | Commission | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | holcomb !Thomas Holcomb | 1942-01-20 !20 Jan 1942 | 1944-01-00 !Jan 1944 | 1900 (OCS) | (1879–1965) U.S. Minister to South Africa, 1944–1948. |
| 2 | smithholland !Holland M. Smith | 1944-02-28 !28 Feb 1944 | 1946-05-00 !May 1946 | 1905 (OCS) | (1882–1967) |
| 3 | schmidt !Harry Schmidt | 1946-03-01 !01 Mar 1946 | 1948-07-00 !Jul 1948 | 1909 (OCS) | (1886–1968) |
| 4 | turnage !Allen H. Turnage | 1946-10-04 !04 Oct 1946 | 1948-01-00 !Jan 1948 | 1913 (OCS) | (1891–1971) |
| 5 | hunt !LeRoy P. Hunt | 1949-07-01 !01 Jul 1949 | 1951-07-00 !Jul 1951 | 1917 (OCS) | (1892–1968) |
| 6 | hart !Franklin A. Hart | 1951-02-22 !22 Feb 1951 | 1952-08-00 !Aug 1952 | 1917 (OCS) | (1894–1967) |
| 7 | erskine !Graves B. Erskine | 1951-07-02 !02 Jul 1951 | 1953-07-00 !Jul 1953 | 1917 (OCS) | (1897–1973) Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, 1953–1961. |
| 8 | thomas !Gerald C. Thomas | 1952-03-08 !08 Mar 1952 | 1956-01-00 !Jan 1956 | 1917 (OCS) | (1894–1984) |
| 9 | smitholiver !Oliver P. Smith | 1953-07-23 !23 Jul 1953 | 1955-09-00 !Sep 1955 | 1917 (OCS) | (1893–1977) |
| 10 | brice !William O. Brice | 1953-08-28 !28 Aug 1953 | 1956-00-00 !1956 | 1921 (Citadel) | (1898–1972) |
| 11 | schilt !Christian F. Schilt | 1955-08-01-00 !01 Aug 1955 | 1957-04-00 !Apr 1957 | 1919 (OCS) | (1895–1987) Awarded Medal of Honor, 1928. |
| 12 | noble !Alfred H. Noble | 1955-08-01-01 !01 Aug 1955 | 1956-11-00 !Nov 1956 | 1917 (OCS) | (1894–1983) |
| 13 | megee !Vernon E. Megee | 1956-01-01-00 !01 Jan 1956 | 1959-11-00-00 !Nov 1959 | 1922 (OCS) | (1900–1992) |
| 14 | pollock !Edwin A. Pollock | 1956-01-01-01 !01 Jan 1956 | 1959-11-00-01 !Nov 1959 | 1921 (Citadel) | (1899–1982) |
| 15 | twining !Merrill B. Twining | 1956-09-12 !12 Sep 1956 | 1959-10-00 !Oct 1959 | 1923 (USNA) | (1902–1996) Brother of Air Force General Nathan F. Twining. |
| 16 | robinson !Ray A. Robinson | 1956-11-01 !01 Nov 1956 | 1957-11-00 !Nov 1957 | 1917 (OCS) | (1896–1976) |
| 17 | hogaboom !Robert E. Hogaboom | 1957-12-01 !01 Dec 1957 | 1959-10-00 !Oct 1959 | 1925 (USNA) | (1902–1993) |
Read more about this topic: List Of United States Marine Corps Four-star Generals
Famous quotes containing the words tombstone and/or generals:
“... the structure of our public morality crashed to earth. Above its grave a tombstone read, “Be tolerant—even of evil.” Logically the next step would be to say to our commonwealth’s criminals, “I disagree that it’s all right to rob and murder, but naturally I respect your opinion.” Tolerance is only complacence when it makes no distinction between right and wrong.”
—Sarah Patton Boyle, U.S. civil rights activist and author. The Desegregated Heart, part 2, ch. 2 (1962)
“It’s always the generals with the bloodiest records who are the first to shout what a hell it is. And it’s always the war widows who lead the Memorial Day parades.”
—Paddy Chayefsky (1923–1981)