FOLLOW ON MESSAGE ON THE DEATH OF GENERAL ROBERT H. BARROW, 27TH COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS
Date Signed: 10/31/2008 | ALMARS Number: 047/08
ALMARS : 047/08
R 312017Z OCT 08
ALMAR 047/08
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC//
SUBJ/FOLLOW ON MESSAGE ON THE DEATH OF GENERAL ROBERT H. BARROW/27TH COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS//
REF/A/MSG/CMC WASHINGTON DC/302104Z Oct 2008//
AMPN/REF IS ALMAR 046/08//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  THE REFERENCE 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
COMMAND 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 ATTRACTING 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, THIS HEADQUARTERS IS PREPARED TO
CONDUCT A MEMORIAL SERVICE IN THE NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE DESIRES OF THE BARROW FAMILY.  ONCE CONFIRMED I
WILL ANNOUNCE DETAILS VIA SEPARATE 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.  ALL MARINE CORPS INSTALLATIONS WILL HALF-MAST THE NATIONAL
ENSIGN UNTIL SUNSET ON THE DAY OF INTERMENT.
11.  JAMES T. CONWAY, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, COMMANDANT OF THE
MARINE CORPS.//