Herbert Michael Hart

Former Director of Public Affairs for the United States

Marine Corps and one of the country’s leading authorities

on historic American forts, retired Marine Corps Colonel

Herbert M. Hart died August 3, 2015 of natural causes at

his home in Frederick, MD. He was 86.

Although a career infantry officer in the Marines, Hart

became interested in old Army forts during the Vietnam

War. While on leave from military duties, he drove

thousands of miles in the west visiting and photographing

historic forts. Four books resulted, 1962-66, in his “Old

Forts” series. In 1980, a fifth book, “Tour Guide to Old

Western Forts,” was published that covered more than

1,000 sites in 17 western states.

As a direct result of his books, he was one of the three founders of a military history-historic

preservation organization, Council on Abandoned Military Posts, and in 1971

was named unsalaried executive director of the 1,200-member group. It was re-named the

Council on America’s Military Past in 1981 to more accurately reflect its historic

preservation mission.

He served as executive director and editor of its monthly newspaper for 40 years and

continued as a columnist for the newsletter until 2013. During this time he was given

awards by the American Association for State and Local History and twice by the

Secretary of the Interior. He also was awarded the Army Commendation Medal by the

Secretary of the Army for his books and was elected a Fellow by the Company of

Military Historians.

He was born in Saint Louis, Mo., in 1928, the son of the late Captain Herbert M. Hart,

USNR, and the former Helen Quigley. Hart served a year as an enlisted Marine before

being selected for the Naval ROTC at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. He was

twice named editor-in-chief of the university’s Daily Northwestern, the first and only

two-time editor in its 134-year history. He was commissioned a second lieutenant upon

graduation from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism in 1951.

He served in Korea, where he was twice wounded, and also in the Middle East and in

Vietnam. He often was assigned to duties with the Navy for a total of 17 years during his

31 years of active duty. He commanded both infantry companies and the Third Battalion,

Ninth Marines. His non-infantry tours included heading the Marine Corps Historical

Branch and when he retired in 1981 he was Director of Public Affairs for the Marine

Corps.

During a nine-month full-time assignment to study education in the Marines, Hart was

the principal author of a study that successfully recommended the integration of women

into the Marine Officer Basic School, and also the establishment of a leadership school

for infantry graduates of that course.

After the Marines, he worked for 14 years on Capitol Hill for the Reserve Officers

Association of the United States as Director of Public Affairs and was the founder and

editor of its monthly National Security Report magazine. After again retiring, he worked

on a project to publish several books on the most visitable forts in the United States. This

involved traveling millions of miles to every state from Hawaii and Alaska to the Virgin

Islands photographing more than 850 historic sites. He was still working on that project

at the time of his death.

His military awards included two Legions of Merit with combat “V,” the Meritorious

Service Medal, five Air Medals, two Purple Hearts, the Army Commendation Medal, the

Navy Commendation Medal with combat “V” and the Combat Action Ribbon.

He was a member of many historical and historic preservation organizations, twice

sheriff (president) of the Washington, D.C.-based Potomac Corral of the Westerners, a

trustee of the Society for Military History, a charter member of the Marine Corps

Heritage Foundation, the Western History Association, and the Civil War Fortification

Study Group. He was a member of the Military Order of the Carabao and a life member

of the First and Third Marine Division Associations, the American Legion, Veterans of

Foreign Wars, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Reserve Officers Association, the

Retired Officers Association, and the Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association. He

was a member of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, Knights of

Columbus and formerly St. Anthony’s Church in Falls Church, Va., and Nativity Church

in Burke, Va.

His wife, the former Teresa Keating, a retired nurse anesthetist from Fitchburg, Mass.,

died September 11, 2002. He is survived by his seven children Bridget (Bill) of

Frederick, Md.; Erin (Tom) of Glendora, CA; Bret (Julie) of Tampa, FL.; Tracy of

Sterling, VA; Megan of Fairfax, VA; Michael (Laura) of Falls Church, VA; Patrick

(Kelly) of Springfield, VA, and grandchildren Patrick, Katherine, and Maura Shea;

Devin, Kelsey and Sean Hart; Ryan and Kevin Lugo; Luke Hart; and numerous nieces

and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister Mrs. Merritt (Janet) Taylor,

of Ormond Beach, FL, son-in-law Charles R. Campbell, and grandson James M.

Campbell.

A visitation will be held at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 22203 on August 8, 2015 from 11 to 3 pm.

Burial with Full Military Honors will be at

Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to a

charity of your choice.