Henry W. Buse Jr.

Henry William Buse Jr. (April 12, 1912 – October 18, 1988) was a lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps.

He was Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps and later commanding general of the Fleet Marine Force Pacific.

Following his retirement from the Marine Corps, Buse served as assistant to three former presidents of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Henry W. Buse Jr. was born on April 10, 1912, in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania as the son of Mayor of Ridley Park and employee of Remington Rand, Henry W. Buse and Clara Estelle Tichenor.

He graduated from the local high school in summer of 1929 and enrolled at Severn Preparatory school, a preparatory school for the Naval Academy, where he spent one year, before he was admitted to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in June 1930.

He spent the next four years at Annapolis and graduated on May 31, 1934.

Buse was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on the same date and sent to the Basic School at Philadelphia Navy Yard for an officers course.

After he completed the course in April 1935, he was attached to the Marine detachment aboard the cruiser USS Oklahoma and spent the following year on sea duty.

In June 1936, Buse was transferred to Marine Barracks Quantico, Virginia, for duty with the 1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force and remained there until March 1937.

He was subsequently ordered to the Marine barracks within Naval Station Pearl Harbor and promoted to first lieutenant in July 1937.

In September 1939, Buse has been sent to the Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, which he completed in February 1940.

He was subsequently ordered back to Marine Barracks Quantico and assigned as company commander to the 5th Marine Regiment under Colonel Charles D. Barrett.

Buse was promoted to captain in July 1940 and sailed with his regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade, to Guantánamo, Cuba, two months later.

While in Cuba, Buse was appointed commander of the 1st Division's Scout Company and subsequently returned to Quantico in April 1941.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the 1st Marine Division began preparing for combat deployment.

Buse was transferred to the 1st Tank Battalion as its executive officer in April 1942 and promoted to the rank of major one month later.

The 1st Marine Division under Major General Alexander Vandegrift was subsequently ordered to the South Pacific Area in June 1942 and following arrival at Wellington, New Zealand, Buse was transferred to the staff of the division as assistant operations officer.

Major Buse participated in the landing on Guadalcanal in August 1942 and following its capture, he took part in the island's defense.

For his service during the Guadalcanal campaign, he was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V".

Buse was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 1943 and subsequently participated in the Battle of Cape Gloucester in December 1943.

During the same battle, in January 1944, he took temporary command of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines.

Buse assumed command of the battalion on January 8, 1944, and led his unit to the victory, capturing the strategic objectives of the operation with a minimum of casualties on his side.

For his excellent leadership and gallantry in action, he was decorated with the Silver Star.

Buse remained with the 3rd Battalion until February 20, when he was transferred to the 5th Marine Regiment as its executive officer.

When the regimental commander, Colonel Oliver P. Smith, was promoted to division assistant commander, Buse assumed temporary command of the regiment on April 10, 1944.

He led the 5th Marines during the final phase of the Cape Gloucester campaign and subsequently received his second Bronze Star Medal for the securing of the village of Talasea.

Buse was succeeded by Colonel William S. Fellers and after two months of service with the 5th Marine Regiment, he was ordered back to the United States in July 1944.

He was transferred to Washington, D.C., and assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, where he was appointed executive officer of the Plans and Operations Section.

In July 1946, Buse was ordered to Japan to serve as regimental combat team instructor within Troop Training Unit, Amphibious Training Command.

He subsequently participated in the amphibious training of 8th Army units.

Buse was transferred to Pearl Harbor in February 1947 and appointed assistant chief of staff for logistics within Fleet Marine Force Pacific under Lieutenant General Allen H. Turnage.

Buse returned to the States in February 1949 and subsequently attended the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia.

Upon his graduation in June 1949, he was transferred to the Marine Corps Schools in Quantico, Virginia, and appointed commanding officer of the 22nd Marine Regiment, which served as the training unit for new Marine Corps officers at the Basic School.

The 22nd Marines were inactivated at the beginning of October 1949 and its troops were incorporated into the School Troops.

Buse was promoted to the rank of colonel on the same time and appointed commanding officer of the School Troops.

He remained at Quantico and later commanded the Special Training Regiment stationed there.

Colonel Buse was transferred to Camp Lejeune in September 1950 and assumed command of the 6th Marine Regiment stationed there.

The 6th Marines were attached to the 2nd Marine Division and Buse was transferred to the divisional staff and appointed assistant chief of staff for operations and training.

At the end of September 1952, Buse was ordered to Korea and assigned to the staff of the 1st Marine Division under Major General Edwin A. Pollock.

The 3rd Battalion was trying to capture heavily fortified Hill 660, but its advance was halted by the enemy machine gun fire.