Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune - Marine Corps Heritage Center VA
N 38° 32.596 W 077° 20.575
18S E 295812 N 4268696
The fifth of six Lejeune statues stands at the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park in Triangle, VA, adjacent to the Quantico Marine Corps Base where the general was the first commander.
Waymark Code: WM90DW
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 06/08/2010
Views: 9
A statue of Lt. Gen. John Archer Lejeune stands in the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park near the
National Museum of the Marine Corps
. It is one of six statues of Lejeune commissioned and done by Cpl. Patrick Miller, USMCR and erected in 2006.
The inscription on the front plaque reads:
LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN ARCHER LEJEUNE
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
MAJOR GENERAL COMMANDING SECOND DIVISION
AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
FRANCE, WORLD WAR I
1918-1919
MAJOR GENERAL COMMANDANT
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
1920-1929
Lejeune served for more than 40 years in the Marine Corps and has been called the 'greatest of all Leathernecks'.
In his early years, he served in the Spanish-American War, Panama, Cuba, Philippines, and Mexico. In 1917, he became the first commander of the Marine Barracks at Quantico, VA.
During World War I, he distinguished himself by commanding brigades in France. After Germany surrendered, he led the 2nd Division into that country. He received several honors from the United States and France for his service.
Lejeune resumed command of the Quantico Marine Barracks after his return and became Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1920. He was responsible for instituting many new concepts and programs to the Marines. Eventually, he retired from the Corps in 1929.