Pedro Del Valle
| Pedro del Valle | |
|---|---|
Lieutenant General Pedro del Valle, USMC
the "first Hispanic Marine general" |
|
| Born |
August 28, 1893 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Died | April 28, 1978 (aged 84) Annapolis, Maryland |
| Place of burial | United States Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1915-1948 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General |
| Commands held |
 11th Marine Regiment III Amphibious Corps Artillery 1st Marine Division
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) |
Lieutenant General Pedro Augusto del Valle (August 28, 1893 — April 28, 1978) was a United States Marine Corps general who became the first Hispanic to reach the rank of lieutenant general. His military career included service in World War I, Haiti and Nicaragua during the Banana Wars of the 1920s, and in World War II, the Battle of Guadalcanal and Battle of Okinawa (Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division).
Del Valle was born on August 28, 1893 in San Juan, Puerto Rico when the island was still under Spanish colonial rule. He was related to Dr. Francisco del Valle, a surgeon who had served as mayor of San Juan from 1907 to 1910. In 1900, two years after the Spanish–American War, the del Valle family moved to Maryland where they became U.S. citizens (The Jones Act of 1917 later gave United States Citizenship to all Puerto Ricans born on the island). He received his primary and secondary education in Maryland.
On June 17, 1911, after he graduated from high school, del Valle received an appointment by George Radcliffe Colton, who served from 1909 to 1913 as the U.S. appointed governor of Puerto Rico, to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Del Valle graduated from the academy in June 1915 and was commissioned a second lieutenant of the Marine Corps on June 5, 1915.
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