State

In Command at ]\ew River lie's a Tar Heel — Brigadier General Allen Hal Tnrnage, originally from Farmville — and he's doing a fine job at the New River training center. By GERTRUDE S. CARRAWAY A NATIVE of Farmville, X. C., son of Mrs. William J. Turn- / \age, who still resides at the old home place in that town, Brigadier General Allen Hal Turnage is now the commanding general of the train¬ ing center at the Marine Barracks at Xew River in Onslow County. Shortly after his return to his native State for his new assignment in Juno he received a promotion from the rank of colonel to brigadier general and his new stars were pinned on by his brother-in-law, Lt. Col. Donald C. Kendall, and by Col. Samuel A. Woods, Jr., executive officer of the training center, who is a native of Darlington, S. C. Long Record of Service Following 13 years of sea and foreign duty during his 29 years in the Marine Corps, the general ex¬ pressed deep pleasure not only at getting his promotion in his home state but also at being able to live again for a short time at least in North Carolina. Besides his relatives, he lias strong ties which still bind him to the Old North State. He attended the old Horner Military School at Oxford, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where lie was a mem¬ ber of the Sigma Nu fraternity. His appointment as a second lieu¬ tenant in the Marine Corps in 1913, when he was 22 years old. came from Josephus Daniels, of Raleigh, then Secretory of the Navy. For two years he was a student officer at the Marine Barracks at Norfolk, then was with the Marine Expeditionary Force to Haiti and the Gendarmerie d’Haiti. As a company commander during the first World War, he left for Franc- in September, 1018, with the 13th Regiment of Marines, com¬ manded by the late Gen. Smodlcy 1). Butler. Shortly after his arrival in France, he was placed in charge of the Machine Gun Battalion of the Fifth Marine Brigade stationed at Brest. He returned to the United States and demobilized his battalion at the Naval Operating Base at Norfolk in August. 1919. Other Positions of Service After service at the Marine Bar¬ racks at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, as instructor in the Marine Corps schools and adjutant of the nth Regi¬ ment at Quantieo, then again going with the Marines to Haiti, he was on duty at the Mariue Corps school at Quantieo; then from 1926 to 1929 was with the division of operations and training at the Marine Corps headquarters in Washington. From 1929 to 1932, as a major, he was on the Battleship division staffs of Admiral Schofield and Pringle and for six months was executive officer of the Г. S. Electoral Mission to Nicaragua under Admiral Wood¬ ward. For the next three years, as lieu¬ tenant colonel, he was again on duty at headquarters in Washington, then became director of the Basic school at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The next two years kept him busy as battalion commander and regimental executive officer of the First Marine Brigade ut Quantieo. An important assignment was filled from 1939 to 1941 ns com¬ mander of the Marine forces in North China, which included the American Embassy guard in Peking and the .Marine detachments at Tientsin and Chinwangtao. Upon iiis return from China last year, Colonel Turnage went to duty at Washington headquarters, first as executive officer and then as director GENERAL TURNAGE of the division of plans ami policies. It was from this duty that ho was recently detached and transferred to New River. Awarded Many Medals The following medals have been awarded him: Haiticn campaign, 1915; Victory medal with France clasp; Marine Corps Expeditionary; Nicaragua, 1932; China, 1939-41; Dominican medal of merit by the President of Santo Domingo, pend¬ ing approval of the United States Senate; the Hail ion distinguished service medal; and the Nicaraguan distinguished service medal. On July 21, 1920, when a captain in the Marine Corps, he married Hannah Carr Torrey, widow of Maj. Henry P. Torrey, of the Marines, who died of influenza in France in 1918. Major Torrey was the brother of Major General Philip II. Torrey, the first commanding general to lie assigned to duty at the Marine Bar¬ racks at New River. Mrs. Turnage is now residing temporarily with her mother at the fainilv homoplace, "Richland," Wide Water, Va. General Turnage is the fourth general but the first Tar Heel to be assigned as commanding officer at the New River Barracks, largest Ma¬ rine Corps cantonment in the coun¬ try. Preceding him have been Gen¬ eral Torrey, Major General A. A. Vandegrift and Brigadier General W. II. Rupert us. 19