Victor H. Krulak

Victor Harold Krulak (January 7, 1913 – December 29, 2008) was a decorated United States Marine Corps officer who saw action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Krulak, considered a visionary by fellow Marines,^[3] was the author of First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps and the father of the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Charles C. Krulak.

Personal life

Krulak was born in

The Navy Cross is presented to Victor H. Krulak, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of the Second Battalion, First Marine Parachute Regiment, during operations on Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands, October 28 to November 3, 1943. Assigned the task of diverting hostile attention from the movements of our main attack force en route to Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville Island, Lieutenant Colonel Krulak landed at Choiseul and daringly directed the attack of his battalion against the Japanese, destroying hundreds of tons of supplies and burning camps and landing barges. Although wounded during the assault on October 30, he repeatedly refused to relinquish his command and with dauntless courage and tenacious devotion to duty, continued to lead his battalion against the numerically superior Japanese forces. His brilliant leadership and indomitable fighting spirit assured the success of this vital mission and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

— Navy Cross citation[8]

The navy

After the war, Krulak returned to the United States and served as assistant director of the Senior School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, and, later, as regimental commander of the 5th Marines at Camp Pendleton.

Korean War

Krulak was serving as assistant chief of staff, G-3, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, when the

From 1951 to 1955, Krulak served at Headquarters Marine Corps as Secretary of the General Staff, then rejoined Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, as chief of staff.

1956 to 1959

In July 1956, he was promoted to brigadier general and designated assistant commander,

Vietnam War

From 1962 to 1964, Krulak served as special assistant for counter insurgency activities, Organization of the

On March 1, 1964, Krulak was designated Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, and promoted to lieutenant general. For the next four years, Krulak was responsible for all Fleet Marine Force units in the Pacific, including some 54 trips to the Vietnam theater. Many sources including Coram (2010) report that the Chu Lai base, which commenced in May 1965, was named after Krulak's own Chinese name.^[11]

At the beginning of the war, Krulak put forward the "Spreading Inkblot Theory." This promoted a spreading inkblot of small units actions to pacify South Vietnam village by village. When large enemy units were encountered then General Westmoreland's overwhelming firepower should be employed. He also called for intensive bombing of North Vietnam and mining of Haiphong Harbor. Krulak's plans were eventually rejected as Westmoreland favored hammering the enemy into submission through superior firepower and the Johnson administration feared relentless bombing of the North would provoke Soviet and Chinese intervention.^[12] Krulak opposed the establishment of the Khe Sanh Combat Base.^[13]

Krulak hoped to become the next

eventually became the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, serving from 1995 to 1999.

Medals and decorations

Krulak's medals and decorations include:

Badge	Navy/Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia
1st row	Navy Cross								Navy Distinguished Service Medal
2nd row	valor device				Bronze Star Medal with "V" device				Purple Heart				Air Medal
3rd row	Navy Presidential Unit Citation w/ 3 service stars				China Service Medal w/ 1 service star				American Defense Service Medal w/ Base clasp				American Campaign Medal
4th row	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 3 service stars				World War II Victory Medal				Navy Occupation Service Medal				National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 service star
5th row	Korean Service Medal w/ 4 service stars				Vietnam Service Medal w/ service star				Order of Service Merit, Second Class				National Order of Vietnam, Commander
6th row	Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/ palm				Korean Presidential Unit Citation				United Nations Korea Medal				Vietnam Campaign Medal
Badge	Rifle Expert Marksmanship Badge								Pistol Expert Marksmanship Badge

Strategic vehicle advocacy

Krulak was an early advocate of using helicopters for infantry assault. He was also instrumental in the development of Higgins boats, which enabled beach landings of men and material in World War II.^[14]

Personal life

After retiring from the Marine Corps, Krulak worked for Copley Newspapers, including serving as president of Copley News Service and vice president of Copley Press. He retired from Copley in 1977, though he continued to contribute to their news service.^[15] Krulak also wrote a number of books, including the iconic Marine Corps history First to Fight.^[16]

Krulak was a personal friend of Ronald Reagan. They wrote each other regularly.^[17]

In retirement, Krulak was active in community organizations, as well as participating in Marine Corps activities. He served as president and trustee of the Zoological Society of San Diego.^[18] His wife, Amy, died in 2004.^[13]

On December 29, 2008, Krulak died at age 95 in San Diego, California.

In 2004, Lieutenant General Krulak was the recipient of the U.S. Naval Academy's Distinguished Graduate award, which honors alumni who have "provided a lifetime of service to the nation or armed forces, have made significant and distinguished contributions to the nation via their public service and have demonstrated a strong interest in supporting the Navy or Marine Corps and the United States Naval Academy. These individuals are the embodiment of the Naval Academy's mission to provide graduates who will be ready '…to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.'"[20]

In 2007, at the Marine Corps Association's first annual banquet, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recounted the story of Krulak's time in China and his career:^[21]

Krulak's was, of course, a legendary career: Navy Cross; counterinsurgency advisor to the Joint Staff; commander of the Fleet Marines in the Pacific during the Vietnam War; and, father of a future Marine Commandant, Chuck Krulak.... Victor Krulak's story and accomplishments teach us a good deal:

• About learning from the experiences and setbacks of the past;
• About being open to take ideas and inspiration from wherever they come; and
• About overcoming conventional wisdom and bureaucratic obstacles thrown in one's path.

His book First to Fight won the 1984 Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature.^[22][23]

The Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity (BKCIC) at the Marine Corps University is named after Victor Krulak.

Published works

• First to Fight: View of the U.S. Marines. Simon & Schuster. 1991.
  ISBN 0-671-73012-6
  .
• Panama: An Assessment. U.S. Strategic Institute. 1990.
  ISBN 0-913187-03-8
  .
• Organization for National Security: A Study. U.S. Strategic Institute. 1983.
  ISBN 0-913187-00-3
  .

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

Further reading

• Crocker, H.W. (2006). Don't Tread on me: A 400-year history of America at War, from Indian Fighting to Terrorist Hunting. Crown Forum.
  ISBN 1-4000-5363-3
  .
• Krulak, Victor H. (1983). Organization for National Security, Cambridge, Massachusetts: United States Strategic Institute.
  ISBN 0-913187-00-3
  .
• Krulak, Victor H. (1984). First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps, Annapolis, Maryland:
  ISBN 0-87021-785-2. This book is on the Chief of Naval Operations
  ' Professional Reading List and the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Reading List.
• Chapin, Captain John C., USMCR (Retired) (1997). "Diversionary Landings". Top of the Ladder: Marine Operations in the Northern Solomons. Marines in World War II Commemorative Series, Marine Corps Historical Center, United States Marines Corps. Retrieved July 11, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Coram, Robert (2010). Brute: The Life of Victor Krulak, U.S. Marine.
  ISBN 978-0-316-75846-8
  .
• Hove, Duane T. (2003). American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Burd Street Press.
  ISBN 1-57249-307-0
  .
• Miller, Stephen (January 3, 2009). "Military Innovator Who Sought New Approach to Battle in Vietnam (Victor H. Krulak 1913–2008)".
  Wall Street Journal
  . Retrieved January 3, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Victor Krulak.

• "Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, Sr. – Deceased". USMC General Officer & Senior Executives Biographies. United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
• "Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, USMC (Deceased)". Who's Who in the Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
• Rholes, LCpl Ryan (January 8, 2009). "Marine Corps legend 'Brute' Krulak passes away at age 95". Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Public Affairs. United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
• Victor Harold "Brute" Krulak at Find a Grave

Military offices
Preceded by Carson A. Roberts	Commanding General of the Fleet Marine Force Pacific 1964–1968	Succeeded by Henry W. Buse Jr.
Preceded by Bruno Hochmuth	Commanding General of the MCRD San Diego 1959–1962	Succeeded by Sidney S. Wade
Preceded by Bankson T. Holcomb Jr.	Commanding Officer of the 5th Marine Regiment 1949–1950	Succeeded by Raymond L. Murray