RTTUZYUW RUEWMCS0000 3052142-UUUU--RUCRNAV ZNR UUUUU R 312142Z OCT 08 FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV BT UNCLASS ALNAV 077/08 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/OCT// SUBJ/DEATH OF GENERAL ROBERT H. BARROW, 27TH COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS// REF/A/MSG/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/311629ZOCT08// REF/B/DOC/OPNAV WASHINGTON DC/15JUN2001// NARR/REF IS ALNAV 076/08. REF B IS NAVY REGULATIONS.// RMKS/1. REFERENCE A ANNOUNCED THE DEATH ON 30 OCTOBER 2008 OF GENERAL ROBERT H. BARROW, U.S. MARINE CORPS, RETIRED, 27TH COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS. 2. GENERAL BARROW WAS BORN ON 5 FEBRUARY 1922 IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. HE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN 1939 AND ENROLLED AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY. IN MARCH 1942, HE ENLISTED IN THE PLATOON LEADER?S CLASS PROGRAM. HE LEFT SCHOOL IN THE FALL OF 1942 AND WENT TO BOOT CAMP IN SAN DIEGO, STAYING ON AFTER GRADUATION AS A DRILL INSTRUCTOR. SELECTED FOR OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL, HE LEFT SAN DIEGO FOR QUANTICO IN MARCH 1943; AND ON 19 MAY 1943, HE WAS COMMISSIONED AS A SECOND LIEUTENANT OF MARINES. 3. FOLLOWING OFFICER TRAINING, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO MARINE BARRACKS, NAVAL AMMUNITION DEPOT, NEW ORLEANS. HE WAS REASSIGNED IN FEBRUARY 1944 TO THE 51ST REPLACEMENT BATTALION IN CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA. DURING THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS OF WORLD WAR II, HE LED AN AMERICAN TEAM SERVING WITH CHINESE GUERRILLA FORCES IN JAPANESE OCCUPIED CENTRAL CHINA. HE WAS AWARDED THE BRONZE STAR WITH COMBAT ?V.? 4. AFTER WORLD WAR II, HE SERVED AS AIDE DE CAMP TO THE COMMANDING GENERAL, FLEET MARINE FORCE, ATLANTIC. HE COMPLETED AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE SCHOOL, JUNIOR COURSE IN JUNE 1949, AND WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE 2D MARINE DIVISION AT CAMP LEJEUNE. HE WAS GIVEN COMMAND OF COMPANY A, 1ST BATTALION, 2D MARINES. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE KOREAN WAR, HIS RIFLE COMPANY WAS TRANSFERRED TO CAMP PENDLETON AND REDESIGNATED COMPANY A, 1ST BATTALION, 1ST MARINES, 1ST MARINE DIVISION. HE LED ABLE COMPANY ASHORE AT INCHON ON 15 SEPTEMBER 1950. FOR HIS LEADERSHIP IN THE FIGHTING ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SEOUL, HE RECEIVED THE SILVER STAR. DURING THE CHOSIN RESERVOIR CAMPAIGN, HE WAS AWARDED THE NAVY CROSS-FOR THE SEIZURE AND DEFENSE OF HILL 1081 FROM 9-10 DECEMBER 1950. 5. AFTER HIS SERVICE IN THE KOREAN WAR, HE WAS REASSIGNED AS OFFICER- IN-CHARGE, INFANTRY DESK, ENLISTED ASSIGNMENTS, HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS. FROM THERE HE WAS DETAILED OUT AND SENT ON A CLASSIFIED ASSIGNMENT TO THE FAR EAST, NORTH OF TAIWAN. HE RETURNED TO HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS ? THIS TIME TO THE G-3. IN FEBRUARY 1956, HE RETURNED TO CAMP LEJEUNE, WHERE HE SERVED FIRST AS OPERATIONS OFFICER AND THEN EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF 2D BATTALION, 6TH MARINES. HE JOINED THE NROTC UNIT AT TULANE UNIVERSITY IN 1957, AND SERVED AS MARINE OFFICER INSTRUCTOR FOR THREE YEARS. RETURNING TO QUANTICO, HE COMPLETED A TOUR WITH THE LANDING FORCE DEVELOPMENT CENTER AND ATTENDED THE OFFICER?S SENIOR COURSE IN 1963. HE LEFT FOR ANOTHER TOUR IN THE PACIFIC, WHERE HE SERVED AS G-3, III MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, THEN G-3 PLANS OFFICER AT FLEET MARINE FORCE PACIFIC IN HAWAII. ATTENDANCE AT THE NATIONAL WAR COLLEGE FOLLOWED, AND UPON GRADUATION IN 1968, HE ARRIVED IN SOUTH VIETNAM TO TAKE CO MMAND OF 9TH MARINES, 3D MARINE DIVISION. THE REGIMENT CONDUCTED A SERIES OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS SOUTH OF THE WESTERN PART OF THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE AND IN THE KHE SANH AND BA LONG VALLEY AREAS. FOR HIS VALOR DURING OPERATION DEWEY CANYON FROM 22 JANUARY TO 18 MARCH 1969, HE RECEIVED THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS. 6. HE WAS PROMOTED TO BRIGADIER GENERAL IN AUGUST 1969 BY GENERAL LEONARD F. CHAPMAN, 24TH COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS. GENERAL BARROW?S FIRST TOUR AS A GENERAL OFFICER WAS COMMANDING GENERAL, MARINE CORPS BASE, CAMP BUTLER, OKINAWA, WHERE HE SERVED FOR THREE YEARS. HE THEN SERVED AS COMMANDING GENERAL, MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT, PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA FOR 32 MONTHS. IN JULY 1975, HE WAS ASSIGNED AS DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MANPOWER, HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS. THE FOLLOWING YEAR, HE BECAME COMMANDING GENERAL, FLEET MARINE FORCE ATLANTIC, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA. HE WAS ASSISTANT COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS FROM JULY 1978, UNTIL A YEAR LATER WHEN HE ASSUMED THE OFFICE AS COMMANDANT. HE RETIRED IN JULY 1983, AND RETURNED TO LOUISIANA. 7. GENERAL BARROW WAS A THREE-WAR MARINE WITH UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE IN CONVENTIONAL AND IRREGULAR CONFLICT. HE COMMANDED AT EVERY LEVEL. HIS DEEP SENSE OF PURPOSE AND ABIDING LOVE OF THE CORPS PROPELLED HIM FROM THE RANK OF PRIVATE TO GENERAL AND THE OFFICE OF THE COMMANDANT. HE WAS THE FIRST MARINE TO SERVE A REGULAR FOUR-YEAR TOUR AS A FULL MEMBER OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF. HE WAS A LEADER IN PERSONNEL REFORM AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DECISION TO DUAL-HAT THE COMMANDING GENERALS OF THE RECRUIT DEPOTS AS THE CGS OF THE TWO RECRUITING REGIONS. HE BELIEVED A BETTER QUALITY OF RECRUIT LED TO AN INCREASE IN PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION. AS SUCH, HE ADVOCATED AN INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES AND SCREENING PROGRAMS FOR RECRUITERS AND DRILL INSTRUCTORS. AS COMMANDANT, HE ADDRESSED SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM BY ENDING THE TOLERANCE OF DRUG USERS AND PROBLEM DRINKERS. UNDER HIS STEADY HAND, THE MARINE CORPS REACHED A PLATEAU OF EXCELLENCE IN ATT RACTING AND RETAINING QUALITY MEN AND WOMEN. 8. GENERAL BARROW?S MEDALS AND DECORATIONS INCLUDE THE NAVY CROSS, DEFENSE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL WITH OAK LEAF CLUSTER, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS, DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL, SILVER STAR, THREE LEGIONS OF MERIT, TWO BRONZE STARS WITH COMBAT ?V,? AND THE COMBAT ACTION RIBBON. 9. A VIEWING FOR GENERAL BARROW WILL BEGIN AT 1000 LOCAL TIME ON MONDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2008 AT GRACE CHURCH OF WEST FELICIANA, LOUISIANA. FUNERAL AND BURIAL SERVICES WILL FOLLOW AT GRACE CHURCH CEMETERY AT 1300. ADDITIONALLY, THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS IS PREPARED TO CONDUCT A MEMORIAL SERVICE IN THE NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DESIRES OF THE BARROW FAMILY. ONCE CONFIRMED, THE COMMANDANT WILL ANNOUNCE DETAILS VIA ALMAR. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, THE FAMILY REQUESTS DONATIONS TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS: THE GRACE CHURCH CEMETERY FUND, THE INJURED MARINE SEMPER FI FUND, OR THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M. D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER. 10. PER REFERENCE B, ALL SHIPS AND STATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY WILL HALF-MAST THE NATIONAL ENSIGN UNTIL SUNSET ON THE DAY OF INTERMENT. 11. RELEASED BY THE HONORABLE DONALD C. WINTER, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.// BT #0000 NNNN