Harry K. Pickett

Major General Harry Kleinbeck Pickett (January 9, 1888 – March 19, 1965) was a United States Marine Corps Officer who has the distinction of having been present at the start of both world wars; he was serving as Commanding Officer of the Marine barracks at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and is most noted for leading the unit that trained both Marine and Army amphibious units in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Early years Harry K. Pickett was born on January 9, 1888, in Ridgeway, the son of James Cason and Wilhelmina (Heins) Pickett. Following high school, Pickett entered The Citadel in Charleston. While there, he served as first Drum Major of the Regimental Band, when it was organized in 1909. Pickett graduated in 1911 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on March 15, 1912. Pickett's first assignment was at Marine Officers' School at Norfolk Navy Yard, in Virginia, where he underwent officer training. Upon graduation in June 1914, Pickett was attached to the 4th Marine Regiment and sailed to the Naval Station Guam|Naval Station in Guam. Before his regiment sailed to the Pacific, it took part in the Veracruz Expedition during the summer of 1914.