Editor’s Note: Greg writes about a distinguished family of US Marines and their imprint on the Corp, on the Bureau and on Smith & Wesson. In this first part, the intro and the first pair of “Georges.” In Part II, George Three, George Four and Evaluators Unlimited.
As I write this, it is the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. The Corps’ birthday is the one day of the year where Marines’ typical pride, patriotism and simultaneous flirtation with debauchery is elevated to a liturgical sacrament. While I may still exude pride and patriotism, at my age my days of debauchery have pretty much been reduced to regrets and a few fond memories. One of my fondest debauchery-free memories is the day that a fellow 2nd Lt. took me to Evaluator’s Gunshop just outside of Quantico, Virginia. There I had the privilege of meeting Flora Van Orden who was simultaneously the grande dame of the Marine Corps and doyenne of the firearms industry. About a decade younger than my grandmother, Flora knew everybody of significance that I held in high esteem. She entertained us with stories of hobnobbing at NRA meetings with Elmer Keith (she affectionately called him “Beetlebrow”) and quips about her and her late-husband socializing with Chesty Puller! She was the closest thing to royalty that I had ever met. Indeed, the pedigree of the Van Orden family is Marine Corps nobility at its blue-blooded finest.
Four Generations of George Van Orden Marine Officers.
Colonel George Van Orden (George 1)
The Van Orden’s Marine Corps ancestry begins with George Van Orden. He had been one of the youngest cadets appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy at the age of 15. He graduated in 1897 just in time to serve shipboard duty at Guantanamo Bay during the Spanish American War. In 1915 he led an amphibious landing during the Haiti rebellion, capturing Port-au-Prince without suffering any casualties. In 1917 he along with two other officers were chosen to select a location near Washington, D.C. of adequate size for training 7,500 Marines. Their selection became what is now “Marine Corps Base Quantico.” He Commanded the 11th Marine Regiment at their inception in 1918 but they arrived in France just as WWI ended without their seeing combat. He retired in 1923 with the rank of Colonel. In a gesture that is typical of the genetic code endemic to Marine Corps officers, on December 7, 1941 shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the 63-year-old retired Colonel sent a terse message to the Commandant: “Request that I be restored to active service and ordered to duty. Van Orden.” His request was respectfully denied.
Flora Van Orden, wearing a Berns Martin shoulder holster, showing a customer her J-frame S&W while the General (r) looks on.
Brigadier General George Owen Van Orden (George 2)
George’s son, George Owen Van Orden, (Brigadier General and husband of Flora) grew up with the sole career ambition of being a Marine. Born in 1906 he received an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1923 but dropped out in 1925 to enlist as a private in the Corps. Within two years he was a sergeant and selected to attend Officer Candidate School and completed the Meritorious Commissioning Program in 1928. Between 1928-36 his monthly muster rolls show that he was constantly on temporary duty travelling monthly with a rifle team detachment. In 1937 he became the commanding officer of Marine Rifle Ranges at Cape May, NJ, then Wakefield, MA and finally Quantico, VA. It was presumably during this time that he received his Distinguished Marksman rating in both rifle and pistol competition, completed Ordnance School and was promoted to the rank of Major. While serving as the commander of the Quantico rifle range, he took part in evaluating the M1941 Johnson rifle and also was responsible for the Scout-Sniper School. In this capacity he co-authored a Marine Corps report, “Equipping the American Sniper” and was thereafter considered the “Father of Marine Snipers.” In this report he recommended that the Corps adopt the Winchester Model 70 rifle and the Unertl 8x scope for their snipers. The procurement board rejected the Model 70 in lieu of their already issued Springfield 1903, however they did accept the Unertl scopes which were subsequently mounted on the Springfields.
General George Owen Van Orden is awarded The Navy Cross for bravery during the battle for Bougainville.
In July 1942, Van Orden was given command of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, sent to American Samoa and then promoted to be the Regimental executive officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In this capacity he was the recipient of the Navy Cross (the 2nd highest award given to Marines) for distinguished acts of bravery during the assault on Cape Torokina in the Bougainville campaign. Later in the war he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” along with a Purple Heart for his actions during the recapture of Guam. In July, 1945, one month before Japan surrendered, he was promoted to Colonel. After the war, Van Orden served on the Marine Corps Equipment Board at Quantico and then assumed his final duty as the director of the First Marine Corps Reserve District in Boston, MA. He retired on September 1, 1949 with the rank of Brigadier General and opened a gun store near Quantico called “Evaluators Limited.” He later served on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association. General Van Orden died on May 13, 1967.
— Greg Moats
