More detail on this person: GEN Keith B McCutcheon US Marine Corps General. A highly decorated combat veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, he rose in rank to become Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Amphibious Force in Vietnam. Born Keith Barr McCutcheon, he graduated from East Liverpool High School in East Liverpool, Ohio and attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in 1937. While attending college, he was enrolled in the school's Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps and received a commission as an Army 2nd lieutenant but resigned to accept a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. He initially served on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and in 1940 he completed his flight training and received his Navy wings. During World War II he served on board the aircraft carriers USS Wasp, USS Ranger, and the USS Yorktown again. In 1944 he earned a Master's Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Cambridge, Massachusetts. The following September he was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations where he served as operations officer of Marine Aircraft Group 24, flying combat missions at Bougainville, New Guinea and various locations in the Philippines. In November 1945 he returned to the US and became an instructor in the Aviation Section, Marine Corps School, Quantico, Virginia. In October 1946 he was assigned to Washington DC where he worked Navy Department's Bureau of Aeronautics, while performing additional duty as the Senior Marine Corps Aide to the White House in 1947. In January 1950 he attended the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia and six months later returned to Quantico as the Commanding Officer of Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-One). In June 1951 he was promoted to the rank of colonel and the following December he was assigned to Korea as Commanding Officer of the Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 161. In October 1952 he was sent to Frankfurt, Germany where he was the Operations Officer, Assistant Chief, and later Chief, Operations Branch, J-3 Division at Headquarters, US European Command. In May 1954 he returned to Quantico again as the Chief, Air Section, Marine Corps Equipment Board, followed in August 1957 as the Commanding Officer, MAG-26, New River, North Carolina. In June 1959 he entered the National War College at Fort McNair, Washington DC and after graduation in June 1960 he was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington DC as the Assistant Director of Aviation and later the Director of Aviation. In March 1962 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and assigned to Hawaii as Commander, 1st Marine Brigade. The following year he was assigned to the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific and in January 1963 as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations. In June 1965 he began the first of his four tours to the Republic of Vietnam, serving as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and as Deputy Commander, 3rd Marine Amphibious Force, and was promoted to the rank of major general. In June 1966 he returned to the US and was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Staff (Air) at Headquarters Marine Corps. In February 1970 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and be became the Commanding General, 3rd Marine Amphibious Force in Vietnam. Later that year he was nominated for the rank of general for assignment as Assistant Commandant of the US Marine Corps but was unable to assume the post due to poor health. After returning to the US, he retired in July 1971 with 34 years of continuous military service, shortly before his death from cancer at the age of 55. At his retirement, he was promoted to the rank of general by a special Act of Congress in recognition for his distinguished military career. Among his military and foreign awards and decorations include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal (with two award stars), the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit (with two award stars and combat "V" valor device), the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal (with ten award stars), the Navy Unit Commendation (with three service stars), the American Defense Service Medal (with base clasp), the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with three service stars), the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Europe clasp), the National Defense Service Medal (with one service star), the Korean Service Medal (with three service stars), the Vietnam Service Medal (with four service stars), the Vietnam Gallantry Cross (with palm), the Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal (2nd class), the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, the Philippine Liberation Medal (with one service star), the United Nations Korea Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal
Burial information: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
This information was last updated 07/12/2019
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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