The Leftwich Trophy, also known as the Leftwich Award, is a trophy given for outstanding leadership and is an award presented annually in memory of Lieutenant Colonel William Groom Leftwich, United States Marine Corps, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in November 1970.
Eligible nominees are Marine Captains in the ground combat element serving on active duty as a company or battery commander with the ground forces of the Fleet Marine Force at the time of nomination. Posthumous awards can be made of this award providing nomination complies with all the criteria for receiving the award. Selection is done by a board of senior officers chaired by the Deputy Commandant of Plans, Policy and Operations (DC, PP&O), who then after reviewing the applicants, makes recommendation to the Commandant of the Marine Corps for his final approval.
The trophy is provided to the Marine Corps through an endowment by the H. Ross Perot Foundation; Leftwich and Perot were classmates at the United States Naval Academy. The trophy itself was designed by Felix de Weldon, designer of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Leftwich Trophy, a replica of the statue commemorating the service and leadership of LtCol Leftwich, was first presented in June 1979 at the commissioning ceremony for the USS Leftwich (DD-984).
The Marine Corps bestowed the first posthumous Leftwich Trophy to Captain John W. Maloney, [1] who was killed on 16 June 2005 when the unit he was leading was ambushed in a small town south of Ramadi, Iraq. [2]
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or service in combat or non-combat, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps award units the Navy MUC for valorous or meritorious achievement or service in combat or non-combat, and the U.S. Coast Guard awards units the Coast Guard MUC for valorous or meritorious achievement or service not involving combat.
Paul Xavier Kelley was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 28th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps from July 1, 1983, to June 30, 1987.
A "V" device is a metal 1⁄4-inch (6.4 mm) capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes a decoration awarded for combat valor or heroism from the same decoration being awarded for a member's actions under circumstances other than combat.
Raymond Gilbert Davis was a United States Marine Corps four-star-general who had served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Davis was decorated several times, he was awarded the Navy Cross during World War II and the Medal of Honor during the Korean War. While serving as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, he retired with over 33 years service in the Marine Corps on March 31, 1972.
Louis Hugh Wilson Jr. was United States Marine Corps four-star general and a World War II recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Guam. He served as the 26th commandant of the Marine Corps from 1975 until his retirement from the Marine Corps in 1979, after 38 years of service.
2nd Battalion 5th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 marines and sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the command of the 5th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division. The battalion has seen combat in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War and has deployed many times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the War on Terror.
Wallace Martin Greene Jr. was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 23rd Commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1964, to December 31, 1967.
Robert Everton Cushman Jr. was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 25th commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1972, to June 30, 1975. He was honored for heroism during World War II at the battles of Guam, Bougainville and Iwo Jima. He also commanded all Marine forces in the Vietnam War from June to December 1967, and served as deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1969 to 1971.
Lewis William Walt was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Walt was decorated several times, including two awards of the Navy Cross, for extraordinary heroism during World War II, the first for leading the attack on "Aogiri Ridge" during the Battle of Cape Gloucester ; the ridge was later on renamed "Walt's Ridge" in his honor.
The Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC), located at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Prince William County, Virginia, is a major command of the United States Marine Corps (USMC), which has the mission of supporting the development of future operational concepts and the determination of how to best organize, train, educate and equip the Marine Corps of the future. Since 2005, the commanding general for the Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC) has been dual hatted as the Deputy Commandant, Combat Development & Integration.
James F. "Jim" Amos is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 35th commandant of the Marine Corps. As a naval aviator, Amos commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing during the Iraq War in 2003 and 2006. He served as the 31st assistant commandant of the Marine Corps from 2008 to 2010, and was the first Marine Corps aviator to serve as commandant. He retired from the Marine Corps in December 2014.
William Groom Leftwich Jr. was an officer of the United States Marine Corps who served during the Vietnam War. In 1970, he was killed in a helicopter crash during a combat mission in the Vietnam War.
Samuel Jaskilka was a U.S. Marine four-star general whose last assignment was Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (1975–1978). General Jaskilka was a highly decorated veteran of the Korean War, having led the landing at Inchon as a company commander with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1978 after 36 years of service.
Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron in the United States Marine Corps that operates the MQ-9A Reaper that consists of approximately 200 Marines. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and its primary mission is to provide aerial surveillance for the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit also provides Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) to units participating in Mojave Viper, an exercise held several times a year in 29 Palms, CA. The squadron, nicknamed the Phantoms, was activated on 12 September 2008 and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 24 and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.
Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2019. He was the 36th commandant of the Marine Corps. Dunford is the first Marine Corps officer to serve in four different four-star positions; the others include commander of the International Security Assistance Force and United States Forces – Afghanistan from February 2013 to August 2014, and as the thirty-second assistant commandant of the Marine Corps from October 23, 2010 to December 15, 2012. He has commanded several units, including the 5th Marine Regiment during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Robert F. Castellvi is a retired United States Marine Corps major general who most recently served as Inspector General of the Marine Corps from 9 October 2020 to 1 May 2021. As Inspector General, Castellvi oversaw matters of institutional integrity, discipline and combat readiness in the Corps, maintaining credibility through impartial and independent inspections, assessments, inquiries, investigations, teaching, and training. He is also an ex-officio Member at the North Carolina Military Affairs Full Commission in Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina.
George William Smith Jr. is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who last served as commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force from September 2021 to August 2023. He most recently served as the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations until August 2021. He previously served as Senior Military Assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense, a position for which he was nominated by James Mattis in September 2018. He was commissioned in 1985 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, through a Naval ROTC program. He is the son of George W. Smith, who was a major general in the Marine Corps.
William Perry Brown Jr. was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps aviator. He was a flying ace and a recipient of two Navy Crosses and was killed in the Korean War.