A veteran of several wars, he distinguished himself during the Korean War as commanding officer, 7th Marine Regiment and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military award that can be given to a member of the United States Armed Forces for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.

This class provided two future Marine Corps Commandants (Leonard F. Chapman Jr. and Robert E. Cushman Jr.), five lieutenant generals (Lewis J.

[4] Nickerson then sailed for China and served two and half years with the guard duty at Shanghai International Settlement with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment under Colonel Charles F. B.

Nickerson then assumed command of the Marine detachment at the Naval Air Station Seattle, Washington and remained in that capacity until November 1940.

He then joined 2nd Defense Battalion under Major Lewis A. Hohn at San Diego, California and later served with the same unit at Parris Island, South Carolina.

[1][2] Upon his return, Nickerson was ordered to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina and served consecutively as assistant operations officer, Recruiting Training Battalion Commander, Weapons Training Battalion Commander, and assistant chief of staff for operations under Major General Franklin A.

[6][2] In April 1951, Nickerson succeeded Colonel Homer Litzenberg as commanding officer, 7th Marine Regiment and led it during the counteroffensive while his troops pushed north after the retreating KPA.

He led defense combats until mid-May, when 1st Marine Division under Major General Gerald C. Thomas launched a counteroffensive and inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese and North Koreans forces.

Nickerson and his marine enjoyed almost two months of relatively calm service, before they were ordered to relieve American and ROKA troops in the Punchbowl mountainous region of east-central Korea.

For his service with 7th Marine Regiment, he was decorated with the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and also received Air Medal for participation in the reconnaissance flights over the enemy lines.

[6] Nickerson was subsequently ordered to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for duty as Inspector, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific under Lieutenant General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. and served in this capacity until March 1952.

He was then transferred to the Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, under his old commanding officer, Clifton B. Cates, and was appointed director, Advance Base Problem Section.

Nickerson was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on 1 January 1959 and assumed duty Fiscal Director of the Marine Corps in April of that year.

His tactical area was increased to 1,536 square miles and one his first orders was to move his headquarters from Chu Lai to Da Nang, which was closer to the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone.

It contained a large population, was a rich rice-producing basin, and was a major source of salt, which had traditionally been a medium of barter and a taxable commodity in Vietnam.

Furthermore, the tree-covered foothills of the Annamite Mountains jutting into the coastal plain and the numerous rivers provided the enemy with natural access to the area.

S. 1967 Combined Campaign Plan in which III MAF troops were to relieve Army of the Republic of Vietnam units from outpost duty so that they could be employed more effectively elsewhere in the Revolutionary Development Program.

The Marines under Nickerson's command assumed defense of the district, but participated in the skirmishes with Viet Cong until the early April of that year and suffered 76 dead and 573 wounded.

[12] During the previous operation, Nickerson received several intelligence reports indicating the presence of People's Army of Vietnam and Viet Cong units in the Quế Sơn Valley.

[6] Upon his return to the United States, Nickerson was attached to the Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., as the deputy chief of staff for manpower.

[6] Following the reorganization of the Headquarters Marine Corps in early 1968, Nickerson's billet was redesignated director of personnel/deputy chief of staff for manpower, and he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on 15 March 1968.

[17] Nickerson was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by then-Commandant of the Marine Corps Robert H. Barrow for his contributions to the Oral History Program.