Ronald R. Van Stockum
Ronald Reginald Van Stockum (July 8, 1916 – April 24, 2022) was a decorated officer of the
Early career
Van Stockum was born as Ronald Reginald Bareham on July 8, 1916, in Newton, Cambridgeshire, England, the son of Reginald George Bareham and Florence Rosetta Freestone. He never met his father, who was killed in action, while serving as sergeant with the British Army during the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916, a week after his 22nd birthday and a week before Ronald's birth. In early 1918, his mother Florence joined the newly established Women's Royal Air Force, serving as an ambulance driver until a few months after the end of World War I, when the WRAF was deactivated.[2][3][4]
During the war, while stationed at
Because his mother Florence was not a U.S. citizen, she was denied entry to the United States. The obvious solution to the problem was marriage with Anton. They were married on May 20, 1920, and Florence and infant Ronald were allowed entry into the United States. Ronald was later also adopted by Anton and renamed Van Stockum.[4]
Ronald grew up in Washington state and completed the grade school in
Following his graduation, his first assignment as a Second Lieutenant on August 4, 1937, was to
He completed the school at the end of May 1938 and travelled to the West Coast. Van Stockum subsequently completed Secondary Battery Gunnery School on board
Van Stockum was then transferred from the Wasp and was assigned to
His battalion was ordered to San Diego, California, in July 1942 and Van Stockum assumed duty as battalion's executive officer. His unit was ordered to the Pacific Area in early 1943 and arrived to Auckland, New Zealand on February 20. Van Stockum participated in the intensive training on Guadalcanal until November 1943, when he sailed for forthcoming campaign – Bougainville Island, North Solomon Islands.[1]
Van Stockum participated in the amphibious landing on
Following the period of training, Van Stockum sailed with 1st Battalion to Guam on July 21, 1944, and went ashore with first waves of troops on Asan Beach. During a vicious Japanese counterattack the night of July 25–26, he proceeded alone to the front lines located at the top of a cliff. Here he reported by radio that the front lines had held even though the Japanese had infiltrated and passed down the valleys to attack the rear installations.
After this campaign, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and assumed command of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines under Colonel James A. Stuart. He subsequently spent several months on Guam with mopping-up operations against scattered Japanese soldiers. His battalion was scheduled to take part in the battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945, but remained in floating reserve off shore, in position where he observed the famous incident of the US flag being raised on Mt. Suribachi on February 23, 1945.[1][5][6]
Post-war career
Van Stockum returned to the United States in April 1945 and assumed duty as an instructor,
Incident in Minneapolis
The Inspector-Instructor, a regular officer with a small staff, provided administrative and logistic support to a reserve unit composed of officers and men who came on duty a weekend a month for training. The commanding officer was a reserve officer, actually in command of the unit, who actually relied heavily on the advice of his regular counterpart. This assignment in Minneapolis later showed as crucial in his career. Van Stockum had conflict with the reserve Colonel, a commanding officer of the battalion who had a drinking problem. Van Stockum reported this incident to the director of marine reserve district, Colonel
1947–1962
Van Stockum was transferred to the same position with reserve battalion in New York City in June 1948 and remained in that command for one year. He was subsequently ordered to the Senior Course at the Amphibious Warfare School at Quantico, Virginia. Van Stockum graduated in June 1950 and assumed duty as Senior Marine Officer, Amphibious Group Two under Rear Admiral Harold D. Baker.[2]
During this assignment he participated in an amphibious exercise at
Van Stockum was transferred to the
He was ordered to
Following his return to the United States in August 1957, Van Stockum was ordered to the instruction at
A new divisional commander, Major General James P. Berkeley, appointed Van Stockum as Divisional Inspector in June 1960. As Division Inspector Van Stockum had the responsibility of scheduling inspections, conducting inspections personally, and accompanying the Commanding general (CG) on his inspections. He also processed disciplinary matters for action by the CG, interviewing personnel who were requesting personal interviews with the CG, etc. Van Stockum had also some difficulties with the commanding officer of the 6th Marines, Colonel Melvin D. Henderson, who sometimes objected to the decisions which Van Stockum conveyed from the CG.[2]
He was appointed Divisional Chief of Staff in February 1961 and was co-responsible for the organization of Operation Old-Timer, social event made for the 20th Birthday of 2nd Marine Division. During this event, Van Stockum met many important leaders from divisional history, retired Generals
Van Stockum was ordered to Philadelphia in July 1961 and assumed duty as director, 4th Marine Reserve and Recruitment District and had direction over a number of reserve units and recruitment stations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and Delaware. His duty included also inspection of reserve and recruitment units, and to make calls on governors and other public officials. Following his arrival to his new office in Philadelphia, Van Stockum received word of his nomination to the rank of brigadier general.[1][2]
General's duty
He was ordered to the Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., on June 5, 1962, and relieved brigadier general
Van Stockum was transferred to
With the increasing deployment of Marine units to
Van Stockum was ordered to
Upon his return to the United States, Van Stockum was ordered to Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., and appointed deputy chief of staff for administration under Chief of Staff, Leonard F. Chapman Jr. He served in this capacity until June 30, 1967, when he completed thirty years of active service and retired from the Marine Corps. However he was recalled to active duty as the Marine Corps Representative on the Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals and served in this capacity until February 1969. While in this assignment, he attended George Washington University and earned master's degree in college administration.[1][2]
Retirement
In 1970, Van Stockum settled with his family at Allen Dale Farm in
During his tenure with Louisville Armed Forces Committee, Van Stockum hosted President Gerald Ford in May 1976 during President's visit to Louisville. By the early 1990s, Van Stockum had retired to his farm in Shelbyville where he and his sons organized his papers to be donated to The Filson.[11]
General Van Stockum was married to Susanne de Charette Van Stockum (1915–2000) for 51 years. She was a granddaughter of the French General, Baron Athanase-Charles-Marie Charette de la Contrie, Commander of the Papal Zouaves in Rome and hero of the Franco-Prussian War. Van Stockum was the parent of three children: a daughter Michele, and sons Reggie and Charlie.[2]
Van Stockum turned 100 in July 2016,[4] and died in Shelby County, Kentucky, on April 24, 2022, at the age of 105.[12]
Work
He was the author of several historical books and in addition to his books, Van Stockum wrote over 260 historical columns published in the Shelby County, Kentucky's Sentinel-News and numerous other articles in other publications.
His books:
- Kentucky and the Bourbons: The Story of Allen Dale Farm
- Squire Boone and Nicholas Meriwether: Kentucky Pioneers
- Remembrances of World Wars
- Coming to Kentucky: Heaven is a Kentucky of a Place
- My Father: British Sergeant Reginald G. Bareham (1894–1916) and The Battle of the Somme
- La Maison de Charette de la Contrie
Decorations
Here are the decorations of Van Stockum:[8]
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| 1st Row | Legion of Merit with one 5⁄16" Gold Star | |||||||||||||
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| 2nd Row | Combat "V"
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Army Commendation Medal
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Navy Unit Commendation | |||||||||||
| 3rd Row | American Defense Service Medal with "A" Device | American Campaign Medal | European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one 3/16 inch service star | |||||||||||
| 4th Row | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four 3/16 inch service stars
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World War II Victory Medal
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National Defense Service Medal with one star | |||||||||||
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ronald R. Van Stockum Papers". USMC Military History Division. Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Ronald R. Van Stockum Journal" (PDF). The Filson Historical Society. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- ^ a b "My Father: British Sergeant Reginald George Bareham and the Battle of the Somme" (PDF). Kentucky Humanities: Kentucky in World War I. Fall 2016. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- ^ a b c d e "The Early years of a Centenarian: Recalling the past 100 years or so". Shelbyville, Kentucky: The Sentinel News. July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-10-30. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- ^ "US Marine Corps in World War II – HyperWar (Iwo Jima)". ibiblio.org. HyperWar Websites. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- ^ "US Marine Corps in World War II – HyperWar (Guam)". ibiblio.org. HyperWar Websites. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- ^ a b "2 officers home". cdnc.ucr.edu. Coronado Eagle and Journal, Volume 51, Number 47. 19 November 1964. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
- ^ a b c "Valor awards for Ronald R. Van Stockum". valor.militarytimes.com. Militarytimes Websites. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ "The Shelby County Community Foundantion – Profiles of Community Builders". shelbyccf.org. The Shelby County Community Foundantion Websites. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ "Ronald R. Van Stockum papers". filsonhistorical.org. The Filson Historical Society. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ "Marine Corps General: The Papers of Ronald Reginald Van Stockum – The Filson Historical Society". filsonhistorical.org. The Filson Historical Society Websites. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ "Ronald R. Van Stockum". Shannon Funeral Home. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
