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Former commandant Barrow dies at 86

A former Marine Corps commandant general died Thursday, leaving a legacy that includes earning two of the military’s top decorations and becoming the first Marine to serve a four-year term as a full member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Retired Gen. Robert Barrow, 86, was the 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1979 to 1983. His cause of death was not immediately available.

In an e-mail to top officers, Commandant Gen. James Conway mourned his passing, saying Barrow had “unparalleled experience” in conventional and irregular conflict. Conway credited Barrow with addressing substance abuse and alcoholism in the Corps, revamping the command structure of recruit depots and advocating an increase in screening programs for drill instructors and recruiters and overall personnel reform.

“General Barrow maintained, throughout his life, an abiding love and respect for his Marines,” Conway said. “We, in turn, will miss him greatly.”

Barrow served in three wars, earning some of the Corps’ most revered military decorations along the way.

In World War II, he led an American team serving with Chinese guerilla forces to fight the Japanese in Japanese-occupied Central China, earning the first of his two Bronze Stars.

As a captain during the Korean War, he led a rifle company of Marines ashore during the Inchon Landing in September 1950. A few days later, his company fought through the outskirts of the South Korean capital of Seoul, which Marine forces later seized. He earned a Silver Star for his efforts.

Two months later, his rifle company fought Chinese troops at the frigid battle at Chosin Reservoir, taking a hill the night of Dec. 9, 1950, while Marine forces were vastly outnumbered. For his leadership and bravery, he received a Navy Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor.

Barrow held several command positions over the next 18 years. During the Vietnam War in 1968 and 1969, he led 9th Marines as a colonel through a series of operations in the Khe Sanh and Ba Long Valley areas.

During Operation Dewey Canyon, Barrow led a 56-day sweep of a valley dominated by the North Vietnamese Army. He later was awarded the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross for “extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty” during the operation, becoming one of only 60 Marines to earn the Army’s second-highest military honor since the beginning of World War II.

After the Vietnam War, Barrow moved up the ranks, becoming commandant on July 1, 1979. During his final days as the Corps’ top officer, he expressed concerns about “unprovoked incidents” on Marines stationed in Beirut, Lebanon. The Marine barracks there was bombed Oct. 23, 1983, killing 241 U.S. service members, including 220 Marines, about four months after his retirement.

Barrow is also remembered for a quote frequently repeated throughout the military: “Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics.” The line is used frequently by officers discussing the importance of logistical preparedness.

Staff writer Gidget Fuentes contributed to this report.