Schilt, Christian Franklin

1895 - 1987  (91 years)

• Name	Schilt, Christian Franklin
  Birth	18 Mar 1895	Olney, Richland County, Illinois   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	SCHI.C010
  _FGRAVE	7865231
  Military Service	Korean War, Major General, United States Marine Corps  [1]
  	Haitian Campaign Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He was one of the first US Marine Corps aviators and his military career spanned World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Born in Richland County, Illinois, he attended Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana and enlisted in the US Marine Corps in June 1917, soon after the US entered World War I. His first assignment was to Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, with the 1st Marine Aeronautical Company, a seaplane squadron that performed anti-submarine patrol, the first organized American air unit of any service to go overseas during World War I. He returned to the US at the rank of corporal and entered flight training at the Marine Flying Field, Miami, Florida. He was designated an aviator and awarded his aviator's badge in June 1919, and commissioned a second lieutenant shortly afterwards. In October of that year, he began his first tour of expeditionary duty as a member of Squadron "D," Marine Air Forces, 2nd Provisional Brigade, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In February 1920 he returned to the US to enter the Marine Officers Training School, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. In August 1920, he went overseas again the following month, joining squadron "E" of Marine Aviation Forces, 1st Provisional Brigade, at Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was transferred to the 2d Brigade the following March to make an aerial survey and mosaic map of the coast line of the Dominican Republic. Upon completion of that assignment, he returned to Quantico in October 1922. Except for a short tour at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, from January to July 1923, and completion of a three-month photographic course at the Air Service Technical School, Chanute Field, Illinois in 1925, he remained at Quantico for the next five years. While attached to that post, he won 2nd place in the Schneider International Seaplane Race at Norfolk, in November 1926. In November 1927 he was sent to Managua, Nicaragua, where he joined Observation Squadron 7-M. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism from 6 to January 8, 1928, at Quilali, Nicaragua, where two Marine patrols were ambushed and cut off by Sandino forces. Then a lieutenant, he voluntarily risked his life to make ten flights in his 02U Corsair biplane into the besieged town, evacuating 18 casualties and carrying in a replacement commander and badly needed medical supplies. To make a landing strip on the village's rough, rolling, main street, the Marines on the ground had to burn and level part of the town, and since his aircraft had no brakes they had to stop it by dragging from its wings as soon as it touched down. In August 1929 he returned to the US and after commanding Fighter Squadron 5-N at Quantico, he was named Chief Test Pilot and Flight and Aerological Officer at the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served in that capacity for two years before returning again to Quantico in June 1932, to attend the Company Officers' Course at the Marine Corps Schools. After completing that course in July 1933, he entered the Air Corps Tactical School at Montgomery, Alabama, graduating in June 1934. He returned again to Quantico for another four years, where he was Air Officer on the Staff of the Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, and later a squadron commander with Aircraft One, Fleet Marine Force. He then served from May 1938 to June 1940, as Executive Officer of the Marine Corps Air Station St. Thomas (MCAS St. Thomas), Virgin Islands. He then returned to Quantico to complete the Senior Course in the Marine Corps Schools and serve with Base Air Detachment 1, Fleet Marine Force. In May 1941 he was assigned to the American Embassy in London, England as an Assistant Naval Attaché for Air. In that capacity he traveled through England and Scotland and served as a naval observer in North Africa and the Middle East. Returning to the US in August 1941, he was assigned back to Quantico as Engineer and Supply Officer of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. In September 1942, after the US entry into World War II, he arrived on Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands and served as Assistant Chief of Staff, 1st Marine Air Wing, and commander of Marine Aircraft Group 11, Chief of Staff of the 1st Wing and Commanding Officer of the Strike and Search Patrol Commands. In September 1943 he returned to the US and commanded the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, until March of the following year. From April to June 1944 he commanded the 9th Marine Aircraft Wing during the organization of that unit, then served for six months as Chief of Staff of the wing and for another month as its commander before returning to the Pacific Theater in February 1945 as Island Commander, Peleliu, from March to August 1945, and Commanding General, Air Defense Command, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, on Okinawa until October 1945, when he took command of the 2nd Wing. He returned to the US in March 1946 and was assigned to the Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois, the following month where he was head of the Marine Air Reserve Training Command until July 1949, when he was ordered to Naval Station Norfolk as Chief of Staff, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic. He served in that capacity until he took command of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Korea in July 1951. In April 1952 he returned from Korea to serve in Hawaii as Deputy Commander, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, until February 1953 when he became Commanding General, Aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. In August 1955 he became the Director of Aviation at Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington DC at the rank of lieutenant general, serving in this capacity until he retired in April 1957 with nearly 40 years of continued military service. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he received the following military and foreign decorations and awards: The Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with combat "V" valor device, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with combat "V" valor device, the Air Medal with 4 award stars, the Navy Presidential Unit Citation with 1 service star, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal with 1 service star, the World War I Victory Medal with Overseas clasp, Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1933), the American Defense Service Medal with Base clasp, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 service stars, the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal with 5 service stars, the Nicaraguan Medal of Merit with silver star, the Nicaraguan Cross of Valor, the Order of Military Merit, Taeguk Cordon Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and the United Nations Korea Medal. He was then promoted to the rank of general on the retired list for having been especially commended in combat in accordance with an Act of Congress passed on February 23, 1942 (colloquially known as a "tombstone promotion"). He died in Norfolk, Virginia at the age of 91. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "During the progress of an insurrection at Quilali, Nicaragua, 6, 7, and 8 January 1928, 1st Lt. Schilt, then a member of a marine expedition which had suffered severe losses in killed and wounded, volunteered under almost impossible conditions to evacuate the wounded by air and transport a relief commanding officer to assume charge of a very serious situation. 1st Lt Schilt bravely undertook this dangerous and important task and, by taking off a total of 10 times in the rough, rolling street of a partially burning village, under hostile infantry fire on each occasion, succeeded in accomplishing his mission, thereby actually saving 3 lives and bringing supplies and aid to others in desperate need." Career Marine, General, United States Marine Corps
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		United States Marine Corps
  		United States Marine Corps
  		General, United States Marine Corps
  		Korea
  		United States Marine Corps Rank Insignia
  		Navy Distinguished Service Medal United States Navy and United States Marine Corps
  		Korean War (1950-1953)
  Military Service	World War I, Corporal, United States Marine Corps  [1]
  		Medal of Honor, United States Navy ('Tiffany Cross' Version) (1919-1942)
  		United States Marine Corps
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		World War I Victory Medal, United States
  		Medal of Honor
  		Nicaraguan Campaign Medal
  		Vought O2U Corsair
  		World War I (1914 - 1918)
  		World War I Victory Medal, United States
  		United States Marine Corps
  Military Service	World War II, United States Marine Corps  [1]
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		United States Marine Corps
  		United States Marine Corps
  		Corporal, United States Marine Corps Pre-1918-1959
  		Bronze Star Medal, United States
  		Navy Occupation Service Medal, United States Navy
  		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Campaign Medal, United States Military
  		Good Conduct Medal, United States Marine Corps
  		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		Bronze Star Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		Presidential Unit Citation, United States Uniformed Services Originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation
  		American Campaign Medal, United States
  		Navy Distinguished Service Medal United States Navy and United States Marine Corps
  		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		Navy Occupation Service Medal, United States Navy
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  Death	8 Jan 1987	Norfolk, Virginia   [1]
  Burial	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia   [1]
  	Section 2E Plot 151-2
  		Headstone, Schilt, Christian Franklin and Elizabeth Weber
  		Headstone, Schilt, Christian Franklin
  		Headstone, Schilt, Christian Franklin, and Elizabeth Weber
  Person ID	I43437	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	30 Jan 2024

  
  

  Father	Schilt, Fred William,   b. 1 Mar 1868, Preston Township, Richland County, Illinois d. 17 Sep 1934, Newton, Jasper County, Illinois (Age 66 years)
  Mother	Joerris, Anna Cornelia,   b. 28 Mar 1869, Poland, Clay County, Indiana d. 17 Apr 1961, Olney, Richland County, Illinois (Age 92 years)
  Family ID	F6160	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Weber, Elizabeth,   b. 7 Jan 1903, Olney, Richland County, Illinois d. 15 Jul 1985, Norfolk, Virginia (Age 82 years)
  Marriage	Y  [1]
  Family ID	F16786	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Burial - - Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S13586] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Schilt, Christian Franklin and Elizabeth Weber, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7865231/christian-franklin-schilt), none. (Reliability: 2).