Ralph Houser

Who was Ralph Houser?

Ralph Logan Houser was an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He was born in Iowa in 1914 and graduated from the University of Iowa when he was 21. After his graduation he was commissioned as a Marine officer. His pre-war assignments included the command of the Marine detachment on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington as well as a tour at Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA.

During World War II he was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division and participated in the Battle of Bougainville and the Battle of Guam, where he won the Navy Cross for successfully leading his battalion through a series of heavily fortified Japanese positions. Following the war, he trained Army units in amphibious tactics and served tours in Japan and China. He also served at the Pentagon for the Navy Inspector General.

Following his retirement from the Marines, he attended George Washington University Law School and practiced in Annandale. He died at his home in Reston, VA on February 1, 2001 of a heart attack and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.