Edward A. Craig
| Edward A. Craig | |
|---|---|
Edward A. Craig
|
|
| Birth name | Edward Arthur Craig |
| Born |
November 22, 1896 Danbury, Connecticut |
| Died | December 11, 1994 (aged 98) El Cajon, California |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1917 — 1951 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General
|
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II Korean War |
| Awards |
Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit (2) |
Edward Arthur Craig (November 22, 1896 — December 11, 1994) was a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps, and a decorated combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War who eventually attained the rank of Lieutenant General. Craig is best known as the general who commanded the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade during its actions in the Korean War.
Edward Arthur Craig was born on November 22, 1896 in Danbury, Connecticut. His father was an officer in the United States Army, so Craig, a military brat, spent much of his childhood moving around the country. His father, Charles Franklin Craig, was a U.S. Army Medical Corps Officer and Tropical Medicine professional.
Craig had his first experience with the US Marine Corps when he was 10 years old while sightseeing at the Washington Navy Yard, where he was arrested for photographing naval guns. The Marines released him after confiscating the film from his camera.
He attended St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin and graduated in 1917. Craig had been in the Reserve Officer's Training Corps for four years in the academy, and with the outbreak of World War I, he was offered a commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He had originally wanted to join the US Army, but was unable to do so because the minimum age for a commission was 21 years old, and so he decided to pursue the Marines, where he could commission at 20. Craig, who was living in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas at the time, failed two eyesight tests in Chicago, Illinois and had to personally plead to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Major General George Barnett, for a third try. He passed his third eye exam and was commissioned on August 23, 1917. Craig later said his chief motivation to join the Marines was to fight in World War I, and he thought the failure of his eye test slowed his career considerably. He also said his father did not approve of his decision to join the Marines, thinking them "a terrible bunch of drunks and bums".
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