Logan Feland

Feland was attached to the 5th Marine Regiment for service in France in World War I and was among the first contingent of American forces which went overseas with General John J. Pershing in May 1917. On his arrival in France, Feland was made executive officer (XO) of the 5th Marines. When the unit, as part of the 4th Marine Brigade, was thrown into the breach to stem the German advance at Château-Thierry in May 1918, Feland was, as ever, in the thick of the fighting. At Belleau Wood in June 1918 when the halt in the German advance was turned into a retreat, Feland was given command of all troops in the Wood. For his conspicuous valor on this occasion, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. After his promotion to colonel, Feland became commanding officer (CO) of the 5th Marine Regiment after the former CO, Wendell Cushing Neville, was promoted to command the 4th Marine Brigade. As such, he led it in the Battles of Soissons,[2] Blanc Mont Ridge and in the Argonne. For his outstanding exploits in the War, Feland was awarded, in addition to the Distinguished Service Cross mentioned above, the Distinguished Service Medals of both the Army and the Navy, Officer's rank in the Legion of Honor, the Croix de Guerre with bronze star, gold star, and four palms, and was cited in dispatches six times.

Upon his return to the United States in May 1919, Feland was stationed at Headquarters Marine Corps until December when he was detached to command the 2nd Brigade in Santo Domingo. Returning to the United States the following fall, he again joined Headquarters in the capacity of Director of the Division of Operations and Training. He held that post for two years after which he was Assistant to the Major General Commandant for another two years. From November 1926 to February 1927 he was called from his command of the Marine Expeditionary Force at Quantico to head the Eastern Section of the U.S. Mail Guard.

In April 1927, Feland took command of the 2nd Brigade in Nicaragua. After four months in Nicaragua he was transferred to the command of Marine Barracks, Parris Island, South Carolina, which post he held from September 1927 to January 1928. He then returned to Nicaragua and assumed command of the Brigade for a second time, serving there until March 1929. For this second tour in Nicaragua, Feland was awarded another Distinguished Service Medal.

Following a short period at Headquarters after his return from Nicaragua, Feland was assigned as commanding general of the Department of the Pacific in July 1929. He was serving in that position when he was detached on 25 February 1933. He retired from the Marine Corps on 1 September 1933.

Feland died at Columbus, Ohio, on 17 July 1936. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Colonel Logan Feland, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism in action during the operations at Bois de Belleau, June 6–14, 1918. Colonel Feland distinguished himself by his energy, courage, and disregard for personal safety in voluntarily leading troops into action through heavy artillery and machine-gun fire. His efforts contributed largely to our successes at this point.[3]