Editing Pedro del Valle (section)

===World War II===
[[File:Pedro del Valle2.jpg|thumb|Major General [[Roy Geiger|Geiger]] (left), Colonel Silverthorn, and Brigadier General del Valle (right) examine a relief map of Guam on board the {{USS|Appalachian|AGC-1|6}}]]

In March 1941, del Valle became the [[commanding officer]] of the [[11th Marine Regiment (United States)|11th Marine Regiment]] ([[artillery]]). Upon the outbreak of [[World War II]], del Valle led his [[regiment]] and participated in the [[Guadalcanal Campaign]], providing artillery support for the 1st Marine Division. In the [[Battle of the Tenaru]], the firepower provided by del Valle's artillery units killed many assaulting Japanese soldiers before they ever reached the Marine positions. The attackers were killed almost to the last man.<ref name = npsSrUSMCcommanders/> The outcome of the battle was so stunning that the Japanese commander, Colonel [[Kiyonao Ichiki]], committed [[seppuku]] shortly afterwards.<ref name="Frank">{{Cite book |last=B. Frank |first=Richard |author-link=Richard B. Frank |title=Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle |publisher=Random House |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-394-58875-9 |location=New York |pages=156–158, 681}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=S. Smith |first=Michael |title=Bloody Ridge: The Battle That Saved Guadalcanal |publisher=Random House |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-307-82461-5 |location=New York |pages=43}}</ref>

Major General [[Alexander Vandegrift]], impressed with del Valle's leadership recommended his promotion and on October 1, 1942, del Valle became a [[brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]]. Vandegrift retained del Valle as head of the 11th Marines, the only time that the regiment has ever had a general as their commanding officer.<ref name="npsSrUSMCcommanders" /> In 1943, he served as Commander of Marine Forces overseeing [[Guadalcanal]], [[Tulagi]], and the [[Russell Islands|Russell]] and [[Nggela Islands|Florida Islands]]. He was decorated with the [[Legion of Merit]] for his merits during Guadalcanal campaign.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=M. Duncan |first1=Stephen |url=https://archive.org/details/hispanicsinameri00wash/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Hispanics in America's Defense |last2=Cheney |first2=Dick |publisher=Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Manpower and Personnel Policy |year=1990 |location=Washington D.C. |pages=111–112 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

On April 1, 1944, del Valle was the commanding general of the Third Corps Artillery, [[III Marine Expeditionary Force|III Marine Amphibious Corps]], which participated in the [[Battle of Guam (1944)|Battle of Guam]]. He was awarded a [[5/16 inch star|gold star]] in lieu of a second Legion of Merit. The men under his command did such a good job with their heavy artillery that no one man could be singled out for commendation. Instead, each man was given a letter of commendation by del Valle which was carried in their record books.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Emmet |first=Robert |url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/A%20Brief%20History%20of%20the%2011th%20Marines%20%20PCN%2019000318600.pdf |title=A Brief History of the 11th Marines |publisher=United States Marine Corps |year=1968 |location=Washington D.C.}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=November 2024}}

In late October 1944, he succeeded Major General [[William H. Rupertus]] as commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, being personally greeted in his new command by Colonel [[Chesty Puller|Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller]]. At the time, the 1st Marine Division was training on the island of Pavuvu for the [[Battle of Okinawa|invasion of Okinawa]]. He subsequently led the division throughout the campaign. Del Valle was awarded a [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal|Distinguished Service Medal]] for his leadership during the battle and the subsequent occupation and reorganization of [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]].<ref name="npsSrUSMCcommanders">
{{cite book |author=H. Alexander |first=Joseph |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49119/49119-h/49119-h.htm |title=The Final Campaign: Marines in the Victory on Okinawa |publisher=United States Marine Corps |year=1966 |location=Quantico |pages=6–7 |chapter=Senior Marine Commanders |via=Project Gutenberg}}</ref>

The "very surprising and unpatriotic utterances" del Valle had been making since 1941 led however to three separate investigations by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] and the War Office's Military Intelligence Department. Colonel Housewitz, an aide to Marine Corps General [[Clifton B. Cates]], stated that although del Valle had formerly been "a very important figure in military circles", he was now "more or less an embarrassment to the Marine Corps as a result of his loudly voiced antisemitic statements."<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Macklin|first=Graham|date=2012|title=Transatlantic Connections and Conspiracies: A.K. Chesterton and The New Unhappy Lords|journal=Journal of Contemporary History|language=en-US|volume=47|issue=2|pages=278–281|doi=10.1177/0022009411431723|s2cid=153984405|issn=0022-0094}}</ref>