Thomas J. McHugh

Thomas J. McHugh
Thomas J. McHugh
	Sergeant major
Commands held	Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Guadalcanal; Battle of Cape Gloucester; Battle of Peleliu; Korean War Battle of Pusan Perimeter; Battle of Inchon; Battle of Seoul; Battle of Chosin Reservoir; Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

Thomas J. McHugh (December 23, 1919 – February 1, 2000) was a

United States Marine who served as the 3rd Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

from June 29, 1962, to July 16, 1965.

Early life

Thomas McHugh was born in

Marine Corps Reserve

on October 3, 1938.

Military career

McHugh was called to extended active duty November 7, 1940, and integrated into the active

Philadelphia Navy Yard; the Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia; the Training Center, New River (later Camp Lejeune), North Carolina; and the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

, North Carolina.

Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester and Peleliu campaigns. He rose to platoon sergeant and gunnery sergeant prior to his return to the United States in November 1944. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in the Peleliu

operation.

On his return to the United States, McHugh served as Noncommissioned Officer-in-Change of the Rifle Range, Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point. In July 1945, he was ordered back to Camp Lejeune where he served as company gunnery sergeant and company

2nd Battalion 8th Marines

.

Interim and Korean War

McHugh was redesignated a

5th Marines, 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force

, as company gunnery sergeant and company first sergeant.

Upon the outbreak of the

master sergeant

in Korea in December 1950, and returned to the United States in March 1951.

Senior appointments and Vietnam War

That summer McHugh was assigned briefly as assistant battalion sergeant major of the

Platoon Leaders Class

programs.

McHugh returned to Camp Lejeune in August 1954, and served briefly as acting sergeant major of the

sergeant major

on December 31, 1955.

In July 1957, McHugh again embarked for duty overseas at

4th Marine Regiment

.

In July 1960, McHugh was assigned as sergeant major of the Marine Corps Landing Force Development Center, Marine Corps Schools, at Quantico. The following May, he became sergeant major of Marine Corps Air Station Quantico. While serving in this capacity, he was selected for the corps top enlisted post, and assumed his new duties as Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps on June 29, 1962.

Following his tour as Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, McHugh was ordered to

Okinawa, Japan, for duty as sergeant major of Camp Smedley D. Butler, serving in that capacity until September 1966. Upon his return to the United States, he became sergeant major, Marine Corps Schools Quantico, later re-designated Marine Corps Development and Education Command. He transferred again to Camp Lejeune in May 1968, to serve as sergeant major of Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic until April 1969, when he was ordered to South Vietnam. In February 1970, he was transferred to Okinawa, Japan, and assumed his new duties as 1st Marine Aircraft Wing

sergeant major until his retirement on December 1, 1970.

Later life

McHugh died on February 21, 2000, at age 80, at Onslow Memorial Hospital,[1] and is interred in the Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Awards and decorations

McHugh's military decorations include:^[2]^[3]

Purple Heart Medal	valor device		Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Navy Presidential Unit Citation w/ 4 service stars	Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal w/ 9 service stars	American Defense Service Medal	American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 5 service stars	World War II Victory Medal	Navy Occupation Service Medal w/ Europe clasp	National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 service star
Korean Service Medal w/ 4 service stars	Vietnam Service Medal w/ 3 service stars	Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/ palm	Korean Presidential Unit Citation
Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation	United Nations Korea Medal	Vietnam Campaign Medal	Korean War Service Medal

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

^ Jones, James L. (February 24, 2000). "ALMAR 012/00: DEATH OF SERGEANT MAJOR THOMAS J. MCHUGH". Commandant of the Marine Corps. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
ISBN 0-942597-45-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link
)

^ "Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal". Air Force's Personnel Center. U.S. Air Force. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2018.

External links

Official Marine Corps biography

Military offices

Preceded by
Francis D. Rauber
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
1962–1965 Succeeded by
Herbert J. Sweet

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_J._McHugh&oldid=1206129303"

[ALMAR_012/00-1] Jones, James L. (February 24, 2000). "ALMAR 012/00: DEATH OF SERGEANT MAJOR THOMAS J. MCHUGH". Commandant of the Marine Corps. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved May 16, 2009.

[2] ISBN 0-942597-45-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link
)

[3] "Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal". Air Force's Personnel Center. U.S. Air Force. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2018.

[2]

[3]