Editing Francis Marlin Blackthorne (section)

==World War II: Marine Raider & Legendary Commander (1941–1945)==
With the attack on Pearl Harbor, Blackthorne—by then a Major—was thrust into action, serving as a Marine Raider commander in the Pacific Theater. He participated in Guadalcanal where he led reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines, earning his first Silver Star. Later, he was reassigned to Europe and became involved with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
   
During his time in the European Theater, Blackthorne encountered Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, under unusual circumstances—an intercepted communication led to an unplanned and fateful meeting in North Africa. The two men, though adversaries, shared a brief but mutual respect for each other’s strategic prowess. Blackthorne’s continued operations in the war included coordinating with French Resistance fighters and sabotaging German supply lines. His valor and cunning earned him the Distinguished Service Cross and a reputation for being both brilliant and unpredictable.

===The Rommel Affair:===
Blackthorne was involved in the rescue of Rommel and his family in 1944 and his secret defection to the USA.   Rommel, Wife, Lucia, and his daughter Gertrude were brought to the USA.  His son Manfred Rommel remained in Germany and after the war eventually went into politics.  
The Rommel family lived on the Blackthorne estate in Colorado till his death in 1994 at the age of 103. He became a US citizen in 1955.   His son visited his father several times privately till after his presence in Colorada was revealed to the world in 1969.  He became a lecturer at military academies around the world and a noted critic of communism.

Promoted to Colonel in 1945, he played a critical role in shaping post-war Marine doctrine, particularly in counterinsurgency warfare and Marine air-ground coordination.

WW2 awards include 2 Silver Stars, 3 Bronze Stars, Distinguished service cross. 2 purple hearts. And foreign awards.