Korean WarDominican Civil WarVietnam War Rathvon McClure Tompkins (August 23, 1912 – September 17, 1999) was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps major general.

Tompkins graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the summer of 1935 and subsequently enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on June 5 of that year.

Tompkins was subsequently sent to San Diego, California, and attached to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, under Lieutenant Colonel John Thomason, as a platoon leader.

During May 1941, his regiment was attached to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade under Brigadier General John Marston and sailed for Iceland to prevent Germans from occupying the island.

After the island was declared secured at the beginning of February 1943, the 6th Marines were ordered to the rear area near the beach for hot showers and some rest.

[5][6][7] On November 20, units of the 2nd Marine Division landed on Betio Island in South Tarawa under heavy enemy machine gun and mortar fire.

Tompkins landed on Red beach on D-Day and was informed that: elements of a Marine battalion were pinned under Betio Pier by continuous Japanese machine gun, sniper and intermittent cannon fire and that numerous casualties were helpless in the water, Major Tompkins unhesitatingly braved the savage bombardment to swim to a native skiff and returning under the blasting salvos of deadly fire rescued three wounded men from the treacherous waters under the pier and transported them to a Higgins boat, subsequently proceeding to a reef off the beach where he evacuated four additional casualties from a damaged landing craft.

By his daring initiative resolute fortitude and persevering efforts in the face of overwhelming odds, Major Tompkins saved seven Marines from almost certain death.

[8] Tompkins was decorated with the Silver Star for his acts of valor at Tarawa and also received promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel in December 1943.

Tompkins was released from the hospital at the beginning of February 1945 and after the brief vacation at home, he was attached to the Division of Plans and Policies at Headquarters Marine Corps under Brigadier General Gerald C. Thomas.

While at Quantico, Tompkins was appointed an instructor within the Tactical Operations Group, Combined Arms section, and received promotion to the rank of colonel in February 1951.

His regiment then served as the defense force of the Korean Demilitarized Zone and took part in several training and athletic programs in order to improve morale and combat preparedness.

Tompkins was subsequently ordered to Okinawa, Japan, and appointed chief of staff, 3rd Marine Division under Major General David M. Shoup.

Tompkins served under Major General Frederick L. Wieseman, and when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in October 1962, he was deployed with the division to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Joint Task Force 122 (JTF-122) was activated on April 28, 1964, to protect Americans in the Dominican Republic, with Vice Admiral Kleber S. Masterson in command and Major General Tompkins as his deputy.

[5][11] On November 14, 1967, Major General Bruno Hochmuth, commander of the 3rd Marine Division, died when his helicopter crashed 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Huế.

After familiarizing himself with the situation, Tompkins ordered the units of the 3rd Division to take part in the clearing operation around Con Thien and Gio Linh.

It was small-unit fighting which lasted until December; the Marines killed almost 200 People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) soldiers and destroyed three extensive bunker systems.

Despite all these factors, Tompkins did not hesitate to make daily inspection trips of the frontline units, even the most isolated ones, which provided him first-hand knowledge of the tactical situation in the area.

[12] The 3rd Marine Division, under his command, successfully defended the Khe Sanh base until the beginning of April 1968, when the PAVN encirclement was broken.

Historian Max Hastings, in his analysis of the Battle of Dai Do (27 April to 2 May 1968) where Marines were repeatedly order to attack dug in PAVN positions, states that Tompkins and Colonel Milton Hull were guilty of "sustained folly of Crimean proportions".

Hastings found it extraordinary that Tompkins and Hull insisted on continuing the frontal assaults when they had little idea what enemy were present and despite repeated requests to break off the action by the commanders on the spot.

Tompkins participated in the annual sessions, together with Louis H. Wilson Jr., Alpha L. Bowser, Norman J. Anderson and Richard C. Mangrum and Edwin H. Simmons.

He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, together with his wife, Julia Lindsly Vogel Tompkins (1920–2013), daughter of Major General Clayton B.

His citation states in part:[8] 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 coconut 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.

Here is the ribbon bar of Major General Rathvon M. Tompkins:[8][5] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.