Then Captain Krulak served as an aide to the General Holland M. Smith at the outbreak of World War II.   Upon completion of parachute training he was assigned as the Commanding Officer 2nd Parachute Battalion, 1st Marine Amphibious Corps.  He saw action with the 2nd New Zealand Brigade at Vella Lavella. 

A Lieutenant Colonel in the fall of 1943 he saw action on Choiseul Island.  His battalion conducted a week long diversionary raid to cover the Bougainville invasion.  He was awarded the Purple Heart and Navy Cross for his actions.  He later joined the 6th Marine Division and took part in operations on Okinawa and assisted with the surrender of Japanese forces in China.

Navy Cross citation

The Navy Cross is presented to Victor H. Krulak, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of the Second Battalion, First Marine Parachute Regiment, during operations on Choiseul Island, Solomon Islands, October 28 to November 3, 1943. Assigned the task of diverting hostile attention from the movements of our main attack force en route to Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville Island, Lieutenant Colonel Krulak landed at Choiseul and daringly directed the attack of his battalion against the Japanese, destroying hundreds of tons of supplies and burning camps and landing barges. Although wounded during the assault on October 30, he repeatedly refused to relinquish his command and with dauntless courage and tenacious devotion to duty, continued to lead his battalion against the numerically superior Japanese forces. His brilliant leadership and indomitable fighting spirit assured the success of this vital mission and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.


John F. Kennedy helped evacuate Krulak's forces from Choiseul with PT boats at the end of the operation.  Krulak delivered a promised bottle of whiskey 20 years later to the President.  

General Krulak served as the Assistant Director of Senior School (now Marine Corps Command and Staff College) and as the Regimental Commander, 5th Marines.[

General Krulak was serving as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, at the outbreak of the Korean War.  He later served as the Chief of Staff, 1st Marine Division in Korea.

Promoted to Brigadier General in 1956 he was designated Assistant Commander, 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa.  He later served as Director, Marine Corps Educational Center, Quantico from 1957-59. Promoted to Major General in late 1959, he assumed command of Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. 

From 1962 to 1964, General Krulak served as Special Assistant for Counter Insurgency Activities, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. U.S. military advisors were providing assistance to the South Vietnamese in their war against the Viet Cong. In 1963, General Krulak and Joseph Mendenhall led a fact-finding mission to learn about the progress of the war. Krulak disagreed with Mendenhall and said that the situation was very good.  President Kennedy asked if they had visited the same country. He also led a study group directed by President Johnson to select targets in North Vietnam that would have the least impact on the civilian population.

Promoted to Lieutenant General on March 1, 1964, Krulak was designated Commanding General, FMF Pacific. From 1964 to 1968, Krulak was responsible for all Fleet Marine Force units in the Pacific, including some 54 trips to the Vietnam theater.  General Krulak put forward the "Spreading Inkblot Theory", promoted a spreading inkblot of small units actions to pacify South Vietnam. When large enemy units were encountered then General Westmoreland's overwhelming firepower should be employed. He also advocated intensive bombing of North Vietnam.  General Krulak's ideas were eventually rejected as Westmoreland favored hammering the enemy into submission through superior firepower. President Johnson  was concerned about provoking the Soviets and Chinese.  

Failing selection as Commandant, Lieutenant Krulak retired on 1 June, 1968.  His son, General Charles C. Krulak, became the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1995-1999.

Lieutenant General Krulak passed away at the age of 95 on 29 December, 2008.  

Defense Secretary Gates said of Krulak "Victor Krulak's story and accomplishments teach us a good deal.  About learning from experiences and setbacks of the past; about being open to take ideas and inspiration from wherever they come; and about overcoming conventional wisdom and bureaucratic obstacles thrown in one's path."

Resources for Marines

First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps (Bluejacket Books)

Brute: The Life of Victor Krulak, U.S. Marine

Victor H. Krulak (wikipedia)