Richard Bell Buchanan Captain, United States Marine Corps |
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| Courtesy
of the University of Illinois:
Captain Buchanan was killed in action at LaPaz Centro, Nicaragua. He was initiated in Illinois Beta of Sigma Alpha Epsilon on October 28, 1911. Inscribed on a bronze plaque at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the following: "His commanding officer, Brigadier General Logan Feland, said of him, 'I am glad to state this Marine detachment, under most difficult circumstances and although outnumbered ten to one, has upheld the reputation of the Marine Corps. Captain Buchanan and his detachment showed bravery of the highest order.' Submitted by Doug Fink, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity member.
The Marine detachments from the Scouting Fleet's battleships USS Florida, and USS Arkansas, were camped outside, and the townspeople came to them for help. Buchanan, the Marine skipper, ordered his bugler to sound the call to arms, and with forty men he advanced into the town. "Buchnan did a very gallant thing," said Marine Corps Commandant John E. Lejeune. "He went right into that town in the dead of night and the town was full of these bandits. They were looting the houses and the stores." The ensueing fight lasted for two hours. Buchanan and a Marine Private were killed. Fourteen dead bandits lay strewn in the street. But the actual number of bandits was not known, according to Lejune. "They do not like to leave their dead around. They have a superstition about the vultures, which are everywhere in the country eating dead men, and they always carry off their dead if they can possibly do it." Born on December 16, 1892 and killed on May 16, 1927, this Marine Corps hero was returned to the United States for burial in Section 4 of Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Marjorie Brown Buchanan, January 10, 1901-September 1, 1982, never remarried and lived for 55 years after he was killed. She now lies with her hero in Arlington. BUCHANAN, RICHARD BELL
BUCHANAN, MARJORIE G
By 26 May, the Liberals had turned in 11,600 rifles, 303 machine guns, and 5,500,000 rounds of ammunition. Nevertheless, there were plenty of indications of turbulence to come. On 16 May, a band of outlaws, a fragment of the rebel army, raided the village of La Paz. No sooner had the bandits begun their looting than a detachment of Marines, led by Captain Richard B. Buchanan, charged along the main street to meet them. In routing the outlaws, Captain Buchanan and Private Marvin A. Jackson were killed. Roving bandits and irrational political loyalty could combine to keep Nicaragua in turmoil for years to come. Webmaster:
Michael Robert Patterson
Photo Courtesy of the United States Marine Corps
Updated: 19 May 2001 Updated: 4 September 2001 Updated: 2 December 2001 Updated: 9 March 2003 Updated: 15 May 2004 Updated: 8 September 2004 Updated: 17 December 2005 Updated: 18 October 2007 |
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