 The men under his command did such a good job with their heavy artillery that no one man could be singled out for commendation.Instead, each man was given a letter of commendation by del Valle which was carried in their record books.In late October 1944, he succeeded Major General William H. Rupertus as commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, being personally greeted in his new command by Colonel Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller.