Colonel Robert Donald Taplett, A Marine's Story
Colonel Robert Donald Taplett, A Marine's Story
Robert Donald Taplett was born on December 10, 1918, in Tyndall, South Dakota. He attended the University of South Dakota, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta and participated in Army ROTC. Upon graduating in 1940, Taplett made a decisive choice about his future in uniform: he resigned his Army commission and accepted a second lieutenant's commission in the United States Marine Corps.
At the outset of World War II, Taplett was assigned aboard the heavy cruiser USS Salt Lake City. He was berthed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, when Japanese forces launched their surprise attack. USS Salt Lake City was among the ships not disabled in the attack and was able to sortie in pursuit of enemy forces. Taplett would spend much of the war at sea in the Pacific, serving aboard the cruiser as it took part in key operations, including the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Aleutian Islands campaign. The ship also provided naval gunfire support during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, placing Taplett at the center of major amphibious operations.
After World War II, Taplett continued his Marine Corps career in a series of senior administrative and command assignments. He served as commanding officer of the Naval Supply Barracks at Clearfield, Utah, and later commanded facilities in San Francisco and Alameda, California. These roles reflected both trust in his leadership and the breadth of responsibility required in the postwar Marine Corps.
With the outbreak of the Korean War, Taplett returned to combat command. He deployed as the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, and played a critical role in holding the perimeter at Pusan during the early and most precarious phase of the conflict. He later led his battalion in the amphibious landing at Inchon and the subsequent advance, including the liberation of Seoul.
During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Taplett distinguished himself through determined leadership under extreme conditions. As Chinese forces attempted to cut off withdrawing United Nations troops, he and his Marines fought to keep vital roads open, enabling an organized withdrawal. For his extraordinary heroism during this campaign, Colonel Taplett was awarded the Navy Cross.
After Korea, Taplett made significant contributions to Marine Corps education and professional development. He served as academic director at The Basic School at Quantico, shaping the instruction of newly commissioned officers. He later held command assignments in Hawaii, Okinawa, and the Philippines and served as a guest lecturer for Marine training programs before retiring from active duty in 1960.
Following retirement, Taplett settled in Arlington, Virginia, where he earned a master’s degree from George Washington University. He remained in public service, working with the United States Postal Service until fully retiring in 1993. In later years, he returned to Korea twice and authored his memoir, Darkhorse Six: A Memoir of the Korean War, documenting his wartime experiences and leadership.
Colonel Robert Donald Taplett died on December 17, 2004. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His career reflects sustained service across two major wars, combining battlefield command with long-term contributions to the Marine Corps as an institution.
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