Edwin J. Godfrey (16 September 1932 – 12 April 2002) was a United States Marine Corps general.

Edwin J. Godfrey
A grayscale photo of a white man in a US Marine Corps uniform (with single stars on the epaulets; he is weating a cap and looking slightly to the camera's right.
Brigadier General Godfrey (1 Jan 1981)
Born(1932-09-16)16 September 1932
Died12 April 2002(2002-04-12) (aged 69)
Alma materDartmouth College (1954)
Military career
BranchUS Marine Corps
Years1954–1989 (35.4 years)
RankLieutenant general
Commands
ConflictsVietnam War
AwardsNavy Distinguished Svc.

Personal life

edit

Edwin J. Godfrey was born on 16 September 1932 in Montclair, New Jersey.[1] He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1954, and died on 12 April 2002 in San Diego, California.[2]

Military career

edit

Godfrey was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in June 1954. After graduation from The Basic School, he was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Through 1964, he had assignments to the United States European Command headquarters, Camp Pendleton with the 1st Marine Division, and Okinawa Prefecture with the 3rd Marine Division.[3]

During the Vietnam War, while assigned to the 3rd Marine Division, Godfrey commanded the 3rd Shore Party Battalion and was then S-3 of the 9th Marines. In the late 1970s, Godfrey worked with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the staff of Sylvester R. Foley Jr.—commander of the United States Seventh Fleet. From 1981–84, he was "Assistant Division Commander of the 3d Marine Division", commander of the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, and commander of the 3d Force Service Support Group.[2]

In 1987, Major General Godfrey was the commander of III Marine Amphibious Force in Okinawa, Japan. On 9 September, President Ronald Reagan nominated Godfrey to take command of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific with a commiserate promotion to lieutenant general and a move to Camp H. M. Smith in Hawaii;[4] Godfrey accepted the promotion,[1] and took command on 2 October, relieving Major General Richard M. Cooke.[3]

Lieutenant General Godfrey retired from the Marines on 1 November 1989, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his service "as Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific/Commander, Marine Corps Bases, Pacific, from 2 October 1987 to 31 October 1989."[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Edwin J. Godfrey". Military Times. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b Aquilina, Robert V. (2003). Hoffman, Jon T. (ed.). "In Memoriam" (PDF). Fortitudine. Vol. XXIX, no. 4. Washington Navy Yard: Marine Corps Historical Center. pp. 17–19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b Jascur, Joe P., ed. (8 October 1987). "FMFPac Change of Command: LtGen. Godfrey takes command". Hawaii Marine. Vol. 16, no. 41. Camp H. M. Smith: RFD Publications. p. A-1. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Gen. Godfrey Chosen to Command Marines in Pacific". Washington, D.C.: Associated Press. 9 September 1987. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
edit
Military offices
Preceded by Commander of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific
1987–1989
Succeeded by