Maurice Edwin Shearer was a Brigadier General in the United States Marine Corps. In 1918, Major Shearer of the 5th Marine Regiment, led Marines in the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood in France, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, Army Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, and French Legion of Honor. During World War I, Major Shearer was ordered to clear the forests of Belleau Wood. On 26 June 1918, he sent a now famous report: "Woods now entirely -US Marine Corps."