William J. Whaling

William John Whaling
William John Whaling
	Whaling as Brigadier General, USMC
Nickname(s)	"Wild Bill"
Born	February 26, 1894; St. Cloud, Minnesota, US
Died	November 20, 1989 (aged 95); Lyons, New Jersey, US
Place of Burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1917–1954
Rank	Major general
Service number	0-1049
Commands held	MCRD San Diego; ADC of 1st Marine Division; 1st Marine Regiment; 29th Marine Regiment
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of Belleau Wood; Battle of Saint-Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne Offensive; ; Banana Wars Nicaraguan Campaign; ; Chinese Civil War Yangtze Patrol; ; World War II Battle of Guadalcanal Battle of Matanikau; ; Operation Cartwheel Battle of Cape Gloucester; ; Battle of Okinawa; ; Chinese Civil War Operation Beleaguer; ; Korean War Battle of the Punchbowl; ;
Awards	Navy Cross; Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star; Legion of Merit (2); Bronze Star Medal; Air Medal; Purple Heart (2)

William John Whaling (February 26, 1894 – November 20, 1989) was a highly decorated Major general in the United States Marine Corps and an expert in jungle warfare during the Pacific War. He also competed as a sport shooter in the 1924 Summer Olympics, where he finished in 12th place in the 25 m rapid fire pistol competition.^[1]

He began his Marine Corps career as an Enlisted Man and received field commission during World War I. Whaling remained in the Marine Corps and commanded a battalion at Guadalcanal and regiment at Cape Gloucester and Okinawa, where he earned the Navy Cross for gallantry in action. During the Korean War, he served as assistant division commander, 1st Marine Division and later as commanding general, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.^[2]^[3]

^ "William Whaling". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
^ "Library – University of Wisconsin" (PDF). images.library.wisc.edu. Image Library – University of Wisconsin. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ "William J. Whaling Papers – USMC Military History Division". USMC Military History Division. Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2018-10-07.