Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Major

Unit:

Division Staff, HQ, 2nd Marine Division "The Silent Second", U.S. Marine Corps

For action performed on 20 November 1943, on the island Betio, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.

Citation unavailable.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Lieutenant Colonel

Unit:

1st Battalion, 29th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division "The Silent Second", U.S. Marine Corps

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Rathvon McC. Tompkins (0-5269), Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism while serving as Commanding Officer of the First Battalion, Twenty-Ninth Marines, Second Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on the island of Saipan in the Marianas, on 17 June 1944. Summoned from a distant section of the front when the commanding officer of a hard-pressed battalion became a casualty, Lieutenant Colonel Tompkins found that the unit's advance had been held up by a swamp heavily infested with Japanese snipers, a cliff honeycombed with powerful hostile gun emplacements, and an elaborate trench system in a cocoanut grove. Determined to seize these terrain features before dusk, he unhesitatingly risked his life to make a hasty reconnaissance of the front lines. Rallying the weary troops who had fought bitterly all day with but slight gain, he skillfully disposed his tanks for maximum combat efficiency and led his men in a brilliantly executed attack against these vital objectives, waging battle with relentless fury and reducing the Japanese strongpoints according to plan. An inspiring leader, Lieutenant Colonel Tompkins, by his bold tactics, decisive judgment and indomitable fighting spirit in the face of overwhelming opposition, contributed essentially to the ultimate conquest of this important enemy base, and his great personal valor and constant devotion to duty throughout a period of fierce hostilities reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.