Randolph M. Pate
| Randolph McCall Pate | |
|---|---|
21st Commandant of the Marine Corps (1956-1959)
|
|
| Born |
February 11, 1898 Port Royal, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | July 31, 1961 (aged 63) National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1918-1959 |
| Rank |
 General
|
| Commands held |
Marine Corps Reserve 1st Marine Division 2nd Marine Division Commandant of the Marine Corps |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Navy Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Purple Heart |
Randolph McCall Pate (February 11, 1898 – July 31, 1961) was the twenty-first Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1956 to 1959.
Pate was a veteran of World War II, seeing action at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima and later served in Korea, and pre-war expeditionary service in Santo Domingo and China.
Pate was born at Port Royal, South Carolina, on February 11, 1898. After a brief tour of enlisted service with the United States Army in 1918, he entered the Virginia Military Institute, graduating in June 1921, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve that September, and the following May accepted his commission in the Regular Marine Corps.
In addition to expeditionary duty in Santo Domingo in 1923 and 1924 and in China from 1927 to 1929, Pate served at various post in the United States and Hawaii. He was promoted to first lieutenant in September 1926, to captain in November 1934, and to major in October 1938. In the spring of 1939, he became Assistant Chief of Staff for Supply, 1st Marine Division, at New River (later Camp Lejeune), North Carolina, and while there was promoted to lieutenant colonel in January 1942. He began his World War II service in this capacity, participating in the planning and combat phases of the Guadalcanal campaign. He was promoted to colonel in December 1943, and later saw further service in the Pacific area.
In World War II, General Holland M. Smith, USMC (Retired), awarded Pate the Legion of Merit for outstanding service as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. Serving in that capacity from September 11, 1944 to November 1, 1945, Pate, then a colonel, was cited in particular for his performance of duty during amphibious operations on Palau, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
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