{{short description|American Marine Corps officer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox military person |name= Austin Conner Shofner |birth_date= {{birth date|1916|3|3}} |death_date= {{death date and age|1999|11|13|1916|3|3}} |birth_place= Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |death_place= Shelbyville, Tennessee, U.S. |burial_place= Shofner Lutheran Church Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee |burial_label= Place of burial |burial_coordinates = {{Coord|35.4470|N|86.3299|W|display=inline}} |image=Austin C. Shofner.jpg |caption= Colonel Austin C. Shofner, USMC |nickname=Shifty |allegiance=United States |branch=United States Marine Corps |service_years= 1937–1959 |rank=Brigadier general |commands=3rd Battalion, 5th Marines<br />1st Battalion, 1st Marines<br>Provost Marshal, 1st Marine Division<br />6th Marine Regiment |unit= |battles='''World War II''' *Philippines campaign (1941-1942) * Battle of Corregidor * Philippine resistance against Japan * Battle of Peleliu * Battle of Luzon * Battle of Okinawa '''Chinese Civil War''' *Operation Beleaguer |awards= Distinguished Service Cross<br />Silver Star (2)<br />Legion of Merit<br>Purple Heart |other_work= }}
Brigadier General '''Austin Conner Shofner''' (March 3, 1916 – November 13, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps officer who was captured during the Battle of Corregidor and then part of the only successful escape from a Japanese prisoner of war camp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislation/Archives/101GA/bills/BillText/SJR8019.pdf|title=Tennessee General Assembly Resolution to honoring Brigadier General Shofner|publisher=|access-date=2011-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320055226/http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislation/Archives/101GA/bills/BillText/SJR8019.pdf|archive-date=2012-03-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> He joined the Philippine resistance, and later returned to command units of the Marine Corps in the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division">{{cite web|url=https://www.usmcu.edu/|title=Austin C. Shofner Papers – USMC Military History Division|publisher=USMC Military History Division|access-date=June 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801090544/http://usmcu.edu/|archive-date=2013-08-01|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Early life==
Austin C. Shofner was born on March 3, 1916, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the son of Austin W. Shofner. He attended the high school in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and subsequently enrolled in the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While at the university he was active on the wrestling and football team under famous Robert Neyland and was also a member of the ROTC unit. He graduated in the summer of 1937 with Bachelor of Science degree in commerce and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on August 5, 1937.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SHOFNER/1998-11/0910509235|title=RootsWeb: SHOFNER-L Gen. Austin Shofner of Shelbyville, TN|website=archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com}}</ref><ref name="Tennessee Hall of Fame">{{cite web | url = http://tshf.net/halloffame/shofner-brigadier-general-austin/ | access-date = June 9, 2017 | work = The New York Times | title = General Austin Conner Shofner – Tennessee Hall of Fame }}</ref>
As any other newly commissioned marine officer, Shofner was ordered to the Basic School at Philadelphia Navy Yard for further officer training. Many of his instructors were distinguished officers later, including Chesty Puller, Gilder D. Jackson Jr., Leonard B. Cresswell, Russell N. Jordahl, Howard N. Kenyon, and Roy M. Gulick. Shofner also attended the gunnery school aboard the battleship ''USS Nevada'' and was later attached to the Marine detachment aboard the battleship ''USS Oklahoma'' in August 1938. He participated in the patrols off the coast of Hawaii until June 1939, when he completed his tour of sea duty and reported for duty at Marine Corps Base San Diego, California.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
Shofner was attached as first lieutenant to the 6th Marine Regiment there under the command of Colonel Samuel L. Howard. Because of his football experiences, he was appointed assistant coach of San Diego Marines and led them in the seasons 1939 and 1940. Shofner then served with 2nd Marine Regiment under Joseph C. Fegan from January to April 1941 and then sailed for Shanghai, China in May 1941 as a member of the Headquarters Company of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines under lieutenant Colonel Donald Curtis.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
==World War II== thumb|left|Future Brigadier General Austin C. Shofner as a first lieutenant in 1941. The Fourth Marine Regiment under colonel Samuel L. Howard arrived to the Philippine Islands at the beginning of December 1941, just few days prior the Japanese attack. When the Japanese attack the Bataan, the Fourth Marines were already under army command and ordered to the strengthening of defensive installations at Corregidor. Shofner was promoted to the rank of captain on January 5, 1942, and assumed command of the Headquarters company.<ref>p. 20 Ambrose, Hugh. ''The Pacific'' Text Publishing, 2010</ref>
While stationed at Fort Mills, Japanese bombers attacked the nearby ammunition dump in March 1942 and Shofner directed the extinguishing of a fire on a building at Middleside, while shells from a nearby burning ammunition dump were exploding and projecting into the area. On March 27, 1942, he succeeded in extinguishing a fire on buildings north of Middleside barracks caused by incendiary bombs, thus saving the entire line of buildings. Again on March 28, 1942, Captain Shofner directed the combating of a fire in an ammunition dump caused by enemy aerial bombardment, and then directed the removal of casualties from a caved-in shelter, all while the island was under shell fire from enemy shore batteries. Shofner was decorated with the Silver Star by the U.S. Army for his actions in March.<ref name="Valor awards for Austin C. Shofner" /><ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
Following another Japanese attack on April 15, Shofner organized first aid parties, supervised evacuations of wounded men, and under a heavy enemy artillery barrage, drove the last truckload of wounded men to the hospital. He was then decorated with second Silver Star by the U.S. Army for this efforts.<ref name="Valor awards for Austin C. Shofner" />
He took part in the Battle of Corregidor at the beginning of May 1942 and following the surrender of the Corregidor garrison at about 1:30 p.m. on May 6, 1942, he was captured by Japanese on that day.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
===Captivity and escape===
Shofner was transported with the rest of captured Marines and soldiers to the prison camp and spent following eleven months at Bilibid, Cabanatuan and Davao Penal Colony. He and nine other Americans (including William Dyess, Jack Hawkins, and Samuel Grashio) planned an escape, for which they spent two months smuggling food and equipment to a jungle cache. Two Filipinos, who had been sentenced to Davao for murder, were taken into the escape plot to act as guides, and on April 4, 1943, the 12 slipped away from their working parties to begin their escape.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
On April 7, after making their way through and jungle and dodging a Japanese patrol, the prisoners finally reached a Philippine guerrilla outpost. From there they were guided by wild Ata tribesmen and friendly Filipinos to the headquarters of the 110th Division, 10th Military District, which was engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Japanese. Here, Colonel Shofner and most of the other escapees volunteered to fight with the guerrillas, although it meant postponing their chance of evacuation to Australia. The colonel then served as the 110th Division's deputy chief of staff and operations officer, organizing the division staff, helping to train the new troops and leading an attack on a Japanese garrison.<ref name=Dyess>Dyess, W.E., 1944, The Dyess Story, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons</ref>{{rp|166}}<ref>{{Cite journal | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YFQEAAAAMBAJ&q=shofner+%2B+escape&pg=PA102 | title = Prisoners of Japan | author = Melvin McCoy | author2 = S. M. Mellnik | others = as told to Welbourn Kelly |publisher =Time, Inc. | date = February 7, 1944 |volume = 16 |issue =6}}</ref><ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
===Later World War II service=== thumb|right|Austin C. Shofner (right) as lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines during the battle of Peleliu, September 1944. Evacuated to Australia in November 1943 by the submarine USS ''Narwhal'', Shofner briefed the American Pacific Command on Japanese atrocities. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Douglas MacArthur.<ref>p. 300 Lukacs, John D. ''Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War'' Simon and Schuster, 2010</ref> While in the captivity, Shofner was promoted to the rank of major following his return to the United States.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
He reported his experiences to the Army and Navy Intelligence in Washington, D.C., and using his experiences, it helped in the planning of the raid at Cabanatuan. Shofner was then ordered to the Marine Corps Schools, Quantico for instruction at the Command and Staff School there. He then served on the staff of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina under Major General Henry L. Larsen and received promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel in June 1944.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" /><ref name="Marine Corps Chevron, Volume 3, Number 21, 27 May 1944">{{cite web | url = http://historicperiodicals.princeton.edu/historic/cgi-bin/historic?a=d&d=MarineCorpsChevron19440527-01.2.89&srpos=6&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-Shofner------ | access-date = 7 January 2017 | work = historicperiodicals.princeton.edu | title = Marine Corps Chevron, Volume 3, Number 21, 27 May 1944 | publisher = Marine Corps Chevron – Princeton University Library}}</ref>
Shofner was ordered back to the Pacific area during the next month and attached to the 1st Marine Division under Major General William H. Rupertus. The division was stationed at Pavuvu in the Russell Islands for rest and refitting after fighting at Cape Gloucester. He assumed command of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines and led it ashore on Peleliu on September 15, 1944.<ref name="HyperWar I">{{cite web | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Peleliu/USMC-M-Peleliu-H.html | access-date = 26 December 2017 | work = ibiblio.org | title = US Marine Corps in World War II – HyperWar (Peleliu) | publisher = HyperWar Websites}}</ref>
He was wounded in the left forearm by Japanese mortar fire during the landing and spent next two weeks in the rear for treatment. Shofner assumed command of Division Headquarters Battalion on October 3 and led it through the rest of the Peleliu campaign. For his wounds sustained on September 15, Shofner was decorated with the Purple Heart.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
Shofner was appointed provost marshal of the 1st Marine Division in October and remained in this capacity until he was ordered as an observer to the 37th Infantry Division under Major General Robert S. Beightler for Battle of Luzon. He also held additional duty as advisor on guerrilla affairs to the command of Douglas MacArthur and finally returned to 1st Marine Division just in time for the Battle of Okinawa in May 1945.<ref>p. 289 Ambrose</ref>
He assumed command of 1st Battalion, 1st Marines on May 13 and after few weeks of patrolling as reserve force of 1st Marine Division, 1st Battalion commenced the assault on main Japanese defensive positions. Shofner and his unit took part in the assault on Kunishi Ridge and received the Legion of Merit with Combat "V".<ref name="Valor awards for Austin C. Shofner" /><ref name="HyperWar II">{{cite web | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Okinawa/USMC-M-Okinawa-III.html | access-date = 26 December 2017 | work = ibiblio.org | title = US Marine Corps in World War II – HyperWar (Okinawa) | publisher = HyperWar Websites}}</ref><ref name="Okinawa Battle">{{cite web|url=https://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/The%20Final%20Campaign%20Marines%20in%20the%20Victory%20of%20Okinawa%20%20PCN%2019000313500_1.pdf|title= The Final Campaign: Marines in the Victory on Okinawa|publisher=USMC Military History Division|access-date=July 1, 2018}}</ref>
==Postwar service==
Shofner and his battalion were then stationed at Motobu Peninsula until the end of September 1945 and subsequently left for China. He led his unit during the Chinese Civil War in Tianjin area and took part in the combats against Chinese communists. Shofner distinguished himself and received Order of the Cloud and Banner with Special Cravat (4th Class) by the Government of China.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
Shofner returned to the United States in February 1946 and, following a brief leave at home, assumed duty as commanding officer of the post service battalion at Marine Corps Base Quantico under Major General Clifton B. Cates. Shofner served as head coach of the Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football team during the 1946 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jarheadjocks.com/doc/Football%201943-63-2013.pdf |title=Quantico Football 1943 thru 1963 |website=jarheadjocks.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219092056/http://jarheadjocks.com/doc/Football%201943-63-2013.pdf |archive-date=February 19, 2019 |url-status=usurped |via=Wayback Machine}}</ref> He assumed duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations under Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz in January 1947, before he was ordered to Lima, Peru, for duty as naval attache and naval attache for air in March of that year. Shofner served in that country until June 1949 and received Peruvian Cross for Naval Merit.
Upon his return to the United States, Shofner assumed duty as inspector-instructor of 1st Marine Reserve Battalion at Fort Schuyler in New York City. He was then ordered to Camp Lejeune in September 1950 as executive officer of 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division and served in that capacity until January 1952. Shofner was meanwhile promoted to the rank of colonel in November 1951 and ordered to the staff of 2nd Marine Division under Major General Edwin A. Pollock as assistant chief of staff for intelligence (G-2).
In April 1952, Shofner took command of the headquarters and service battalion at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, under Major General Merwin H. Silverthorn. He served in this capacity until February 1953, when he assumed duty as assistant chief of staff for intelligence (G-2), and depot inspector. Following the departure of general Silverthorn in June 1954, Shofner was ordered to the Pentagon and appointed head of the Latin American Plans and Policy Section, Western Hemisphere Defense Branch, Strategic Plans Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
His final assignment came in summer of 1957, when he was attached to the staff of 2nd Marine Division. Shofner assumed duty as commanding officer of 6th Marines in July 1957 and sailed to Turkey for Operation Deep Water, NATO naval exercise held in the Mediterranean Sea that simulated protecting the Dardanelles from a Soviet invasion, in September of that year.<ref name="Austin C. Shofner Papers - USMC Military History Division" />
==Retirement==
Shofner retired from the Marine Corps in 1959 and was advanced to the rank of brigadier general on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat. He returned to Tennessee and settled in Shelbyville. Shofner worked as an executive in insurance and finance also was active in local Republican politics, the Sons of the American Revolution and the 1st Marine Division Association.<ref name="NY Times" />
He died on November 13, 1999, and was buried at Shofner Lutheran Church Cemetery, Tennessee, together with his wife, Kathleen King Shofner (1917–1996). They had four sons: William E., Martin K. and Dr. R. Stewart, all of Nashville, and Michael M. of Shelbyville.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/17/us/austin-conner-shofner-83-led-escape-at-pow-camp.html | access-date = June 9, 2017 | work = The New York Times | title = Austin Conner Shofner, 83; Led Escape at P.O.W. Camp | date = 17 November 1999 | last1 = Saxon | first1 = Wolfgang }}</ref>
==Decorations==
Here is the ribbon bar of Brigadier General Austin C. Shofner:<ref name="Valor awards for Austin C. Shofner">{{cite web | url = https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/9069#84353 | access-date = June 9, 2017 | work = valor.militarytimes.com | title = Valor awards for Austin C. Shofner | publisher = Militarytimes Websites}}</ref>
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;" |colspan="4"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Distinguished Service Cross ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Silver Star Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} |- |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|other_device=v|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Prisoner of War Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|width=106}} |- |{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=AF Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon.png|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} |- |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=China Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} |- |{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Philippine Defense ribbon.png|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Phliber rib.svg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Peruvian Cross of Aeronautical Merit.jpg|width=106}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Order of the Cloud and Banner 4th.gif|width=106}} |- |} {| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;" |- !1st<br />Row |colspan="9"|Distinguished Service Cross |colspan="7"|Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster |- !2nd<br />Row |colspan="4"|Legion of Merit with Combat "V" |colspan="4"|Purple Heart |colspan="4"|Prisoner of War Medal |colspan="4"|Navy Presidential Unit Citation with two stars |- !3rd<br />Row |colspan="4"|Army Presidential Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster |colspan="4"|American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp |colspan="4"|Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four 3/16 inch service stars |colspan="4"|American Campaign Medal |- !4th<br />Row |colspan="4"|World War II Victory Medal |colspan="4"|Navy Occupation Service Medal |colspan="4"|China Service Medal |colspan="4"|National Defense Service Medal |- !5th<br />Row |colspan="4"|Philippine Defense Medal with one star |colspan="4"|Philippine Liberation Medal with one star |colspan="4"|Peruvian Aviation Cross, 1st Class |colspan="4"|Order of the Cloud and Banner with Special Cravat (4th Class) (Republic of China) |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * Alan J. Levine (2000) ''Captivity, Flight, and Survival in World War II''. Westport, CT: Praeger. {{ISBN|0-275-96955-X}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shofner, Austin}} Category:1916 births Category:1999 deaths Category:Military personnel from Chattanooga, Tennessee Category:University of Tennessee alumni Category:United States Marine Corps generals Category:American prisoners of war in World War II Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Category:Bataan Death March prisoners Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Category:Recipients of the Silver Star Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit Category:Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football coaches