Progression of World War I Marine Corps Officers

John W. Thomason created this somewhat biting, though humorous, cartoon and gave it to Col Charles B. Taylor, USMC, a veteran of the Boxer Rebellion (China, 1900). Thomason depicts five Marine officers of the World War I era and how they change as they move up in rank. Thomason frequently made cartoons depicting Marine Corps life and often gave drawings and sketches to friends with shared experiences. Thomason, a career Marine and a consummate professional with a deep commitment and love of the Marine Corps, was able to see humor and capture it with pen and ink.

Biography:
John W. Thomason, Jr., studied at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas, and the Art Students League in New York City. He enlisted with the Marine Branch of the Texas Naval Militia and was commissioned as a 2d lieutenant. Thomason served in France with the 49th Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 2d Division. Thomason drew and sketched throughout his service in World War I. He remained in the Marine Corps after the war. He would later use his sketches and watercolors for his book Fix Bayonets! (1926). Thomason balanced life as a career Marine and a successful writer until his untimely death in 1944 at the age of 51 while stationed in San Diego.