Years of service 1905–1944 | Name Allen Gullion | |
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Born December 14, 1880Carrollton, Kentucky ( 1880-12-14 ) Battles/wars Moro RebellionPancho Villa ExpeditionWorld War IWorld War II Died June 19, 1946, Washington, D.C., United States Commands held Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Army, Military Police Corps | ||
Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Army | ||
Major General Allen Wyant Gullion, USA (December 14, 1880 – June 19, 1946) was an American Army officer who served as the 19th Judge Advocate General of the United States Army from 1937 to 1941 and the 17th Provost Marshal General of the United States Army from 1941 to 1944.
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Early years
Allen Wyant Gullion was born on December 14, 1880 in the town of Carrollton, Kentucky as the son of Atha Hanks and Edmund A. Gulllon. He attended the Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and subsequently United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
He graduated from the West Point in the class of 1905 and was commissioned a Second lieutenant on that time. Gullion subsequently saw service during Moro Rebellion in Philippines. Gullion received the law degree at the University of Kentucky in 1914.
During Pancho Villa Expedition, Gullion served with the 2nd Kentucky Infantry on the Mexican border in 1916. He was promoted to the temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel during World War I and was assigned to the Office of the Provost Marshal, where he served as a Chief of Mobilization Division.
In 1918, Gullion was transferred to the France, where he served within II Corps as a Judge Advocate. In 1919, Gullion was transferred back to the United States and was appointed the legal adviser of major general Robert Lee Bullard on Governors Island.
For his wartime service, Lieutenant Colonel Gullion was decorated with the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his merits in the Office of Mobilization Division.
Interwar service
He served as a prosecuting attorney in the court martial of Colonel William L. Mitchell
World War II
During World War II, Gullion was appointed the U.S. Army Provost Marshal in 1941. Gullion served in this capacity until 1944, where he was succeeded by Major General Archer L. Lerch. Gullion was a prime mover in the efforts to intern American citizens of Japanese ancestry in camps in the wake of the hysteria resulting from the Pearl Harbor attack. Gullion was subsequently attached to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe. In 1943, the FBI investigated Gullion for his part in forming an extra-military organization known as the SGs, intended "to save America from FDR, radical labor, the Communists, the Jews, and the colored race." Within months, however, poor health and age were cited for the major general's retirement in 1944.
For his wartime service, Gullion received Oak Leaf Cluster to his Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit.
Major general Allen Wyant Gullion died on June 19, 1946 at the age of 65 years in Washington D.C. He is buried together with his wife Margaret at New Castle Cemetery in New Castle, Kentucky.
Decorations
Here is the ribbon bar of Major General Gullion:
In popular culture
Major general Gullion was portrayed on screen by actor Rod Steiger in the 1955 picture The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell.