Vernon Melvin Guymon (November 1, 1898 – April 5, 1965) was a highly decorated mustang officer and naval aviator of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. A veteran of many conflicts, Guymon served as gunnery sergeant with 6th Marines during World War I, later commissioned and trained as naval aviator he distinguished himself during the combats in Nicaragua and received Navy Cross, the United States military's second-highest decoration awarded for valor in combat. During World War II, he served as commanding officer of Marine Glider Group 71 and Marine Aircraft Group 12 in the Pacific theater and retired as brigadier general in 1949.
Early career and World War I
Guymon was born on November 2, 1898, in Rexburg, Idaho, and attended high school in Salt Lake City, Utah. Following the United States entry into the World War I in April 1917, Guymon decided to enlist in the Marine Corps as private during the same month and was ordered to the boot camp at Quantico, Virginia. Upon completion of his training, he was attached to the 79th Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment at Quantico and sailed to France in January 1918. He served in the same company with some later marine corps generals: Graves B. Erskine, Charles I. Murray or William A. Worton.
His regiment arrived at Saint-Nazaire and after more of training was deployed to the trenches in the Toulouse sector near Verdun in March 1918. Guymon, who had in the meantime been promoted to sergeant, took part in the battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918, where he distinguished himself by delivering a message while under heavy machine gun fire. This resulted in the arrival of reinforcements, and materially aided in holding the captured position. He was slightly wounded and subsequently decorated with the Silver Star for his bravery.
Guymon remained with 79th Company during the assault on Soissons at the end of July 1918 and was wounded again. He was evacuated to the rear for treatment, and remained there until the mid-September 1918. Guymon was meantime promoted to the rank of Gunnery sergeant and participated in the battle of Blanc Mont Ridge in October 1918.
He was promoted to the temporary rank of second lieutenant in December 1918 and received French Fourragère and Croix de Guerre with Guilt Star for bravery by the Government of France. Guymon also later received two awards of the Purple Heart for his wounds.
Interwar period
First Aviation duty
Following the end of the War, Guymon served with his unit during the Occupation of the Rhineland in Coblenz until the summer of 1919, and sailed back to the United States in August of that year. He arrived back to Quantico at the beginning of August and took part in the welcome parade in New York City. Guymon was discharged from the Marine Corps at his own request on August 21, 1919.
Guymon reentered the Marine Corps service in May 1921 with the permanent rank of second lieutenant and was ordered to the Basic School at Philadelphia Navy Yard for additional officer training, after which he was ordered to Buffalo, New York for duty at the Marine recruiting station. Guymon sailed to Haiti in July 1924 with the 1st Marine Brigade under the command of Brigadier General Ben H. Fuller and participated in the skirmishes with Haitian rebels called "Cacos".
He returned to the United States in January 1925 and joined the First Aviation Group at Quantico, Virginia and, charmed by flying, applied for aviation training. His application was approved and Guymon was sent to the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in February 1926. He completed the training in October of that year and was designated Naval aviator on November 15.
Nicaragua
His first aviation duty began with Aircraft Squadrons, East Coast Expeditionary Forces at Quantico and Guymon joined the newly formed Observation Squadron 4 in May 1927. Guymon was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant and assumed temporary duty with Aircraft Squadrons, 2nd Marine Brigade under Brigadier General Logan Feland in December 1927. He subsequently sailed for Nicaragua to support Marine units in the combats with Sandino bandits as pilot of Vought O2U Corsair with Franklin G. Cowie (later Brigadier general) as observer.
Guymon participated in the combats until May 26, 1929, and received Navy Cross, the United States military's second-highest decoration awarded for valor in combat. He also received Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit with Gold star and Diploma.
His official Navy Cross citation reads: