View Full Version : Who Am I?
Airbornelawyer
12-18-2004, 00:52
I imagine many will know who this gentleman with the distinctive lapel insignia is, but may not have seen this color photo before.
The Reaper
12-18-2004, 01:14
I imagine many will know who this gentleman with the distinctive lapel insignia is, but may not have seen this color photo before.
Colonel Frederick?
TR
Trip_Wire (RIP)
12-20-2004, 14:11
Colonel Frederick?
TR
Yes. That would be my guess too! The Father of the FSSF "Devils' Bde." :munchin
The Reaper
12-20-2004, 14:25
Yes. That would be my guess too! The Father of the FSSF "Devils' Bde." :munchin
Ski poles on the wall didn't hurt.
TR
Airbornelawyer
12-20-2004, 14:32
That was cropped to show the lapel insignia. Here is the full version (turned sideways because the size restrictions for attachments are for landscape-oriented photos rather than portrait oriented ones):
Airbornelawyer
12-20-2004, 14:59
Another item: a letter from the CG, US VI Corps, (then) MG Lucian K. Truscott, Jr., commending the 1st SSF's actions in the invasion of Southern France. Truscott, of course, knew a little about commando operations, having been at Dieppe and having been in charge of the formation of the 1st Ranger Battalion.
Airbornelawyer
12-20-2004, 15:12
These items belong to a friend of mine whose research specialty is WW2 airborne operations. He is author of a book on the German Army's parachute battalion (most German Fallschirmjaeger units were part of the Luftwaffe). He got them from MG Frederick's grandson. Generally, I don't like it when families give up a part of their history, but at least I know in this case these are in the hands of someone who appreciates them and will preserve them.
Airbornelawyer
01-03-2005, 21:36
Here is one I don't know the answer. The friend referred to above has this picture with MG Frederick awarding the Silver Star to a colonel, but he doesn't know who the colonel is. Any guesses?
Airbornelawyer
04-07-2006, 11:32
Here is one I don't know the answer. The friend referred to above has this picture with MG Frederick awarding the Silver Star to a colonel, but he doesn't know who the colonel is. Any guesses?
Well, I have an answer finally:
Colonel Edwin Anderson Walker, who took command of the 1SSF from Frederick in June 1944 and led the unit until it was disbanded in December 1944. Walker turned into a fairly controversial figure later in life.
Keep these coming if you would. I really enjoy looking at past military history that's been focused into and not had the broad overview, i.e. WWII documentaries.
Thanks again AL.
I've got one, that NO ONE could answer over on Socnet. :D
Who is this gentleman?
BG Don Blackburn, i think...maybe...
airborneFSO
04-08-2006, 22:39
He was the first commander of 7th GRP.
BG Don Blackburn, i think...maybe...
You are correct, sir.
BG Donald D. Blackburn.
Arcitect of the Son Tay raid.
NousDefionsDoc
04-09-2006, 07:16
Let's try this one
Kyobanim
04-09-2006, 07:42
Maybe you should change the name of the attachment.
NousDefionsDoc
04-09-2006, 07:45
honor code.
The Reaper
04-09-2006, 08:44
I've got one, that NO ONE could answer over on Socnet. :D
Who is this gentleman?
You have been asking the wrong people.
Nice catch, Kyo!
TR
You have been asking the wrong people.
Nice catch, Kyo!
TR
I am aware of my mistake now, sir.
Won't let it happen again.
Sooooooo.....
Who would this gentleman be ??
I am aware of my mistake now, sir.
Won't let it happen again.
Sooooooo.....
Who would this gentleman be ??
Big John played him in a movie.
112thSOLCA
04-09-2006, 18:45
My guess would be Claire Chennault of the AVG in WWII.
Ambush Master
04-09-2006, 18:51
My guess would be Claire Chennault of the AVG in WWII.
Definitely him!!
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/gifs/chenn.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/chenn.html&h=218&w=275&sz=9&tbnid=3dJ7aNrJyri1yM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=109&hl=en&start=13&prev=/images%3Fq%3DClaire%2BChennault%2B%26svnum%3D10%26 hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG
My guess would be Claire Chennault of the AVG in WWII.
Yep sure is.
Here's you next one.
This fella landed at Normandy with The Rangers. He was a survivor of the Malmedy Massacre during the Battle of the Bulge, but his claim to fame, came later in his life.
112thSOLCA
04-09-2006, 19:29
I will take actors for $1,000 Alex.
112thSOLCA
04-09-2006, 19:30
Who is Charles Durning?
Who is Charles Durning?
Yep.
What gave it away, allowing you to Google properly ??:D
112thSOLCA
04-09-2006, 19:52
?????
Okay....no hints for this one.
Who am I ??
The Reaper
04-09-2006, 19:59
Okay....no hints for this one.
Who am I ??
Charles Bronson?
TR
Good eye Sir Link (http://www.jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/military/charles_bronson.htm)
112thSOLCA
04-09-2006, 20:10
It looks like the Tunnel King to me too.
... it was Malmedy reference that got me to Durning. Would never have got there without the help.
Charles Bronson?
TR
"I dig and I dig and I dig....."
Yep, that's Mr Tough Guy, he was a tail gunner on a B-29 during War II over the Pacific.
Your next challange.....if you choose to accept it....
I'm looking for the name of the Gentleman 2nd from the left?
Also.....what claim to fame do EVERYONE of these men have?
112thSOLCA
04-09-2006, 20:20
Omar B and they all wore stars (eventually)
The Reaper
04-09-2006, 20:23
Beat me to it.
Same guess, and that was the 1915 "Class the Stars Fell On".
TR
Omar B and they all wore stars (eventually)
Ooooooo....a dimond in the rough.
Very good 112th. That is indeed General Omar Bradly and those men on the West Point Basball team did wear stars.
Okay....give this one a shot.
This LTG passed away earlier this year. RIP, General.
His son earned fame during the Gulf War, and also retired as a General before continuing in public service. He was the central figure in a notorious incident on the grounds of a landmark building in Washington D.C.
112thSOLCA
04-09-2006, 20:44
S Diver - you may have me on that one.
Here is one for you to try.
112thSOLCA
04-09-2006, 20:54
VSVO - How about Gen McCaffrey?
VSVO - How about Gen McCaffrey?
Arrrrgggghhhhh beat me to it.
Still working on yours. At first I thought it was Hugh Hefner, but I don't think he went Airborne. :D
Warrior-Mentor
04-09-2006, 21:52
Ooooooo....a dimond in the rough.
Very good 112th. That is indeed General Omar Bradly and those men on the West Point Basball team did wear stars.
Okay....give this one a shot.
Isn't that the original TR...rough rider himself...Teddy Roosevelt?
VSVO - How about Gen McCaffrey?
Yes. LTG William J. McCaffrey (http://www.ausa.org/webpub/DeptHome.nsf/byid/SSHE-6MERFN).
Isn't that the original TR...rough rider himself...Teddy Roosevelt?
No....but it is around the same time frame as TR.
Here's a hint...his son went on to a famous career in the Military too. In fact the two of them walked in the same AO's, at different times in their careers.
112thSOLCA
04-10-2006, 04:24
WM - T Roosevelt was my first guess too. However, the facial features were not even close to matching any pics I could find of Teddy.
Based on the hint provided by SDiver. I would guess that is Gen Norman Schwarzkopf's papa.
112thSOLCA
04-10-2006, 05:56
Try this one....
This portrait was made more than 40 years after his military exploits.
Who is it?
Try this one....
This portrait was made more than 40 years after his military exploits.
Who is it?
Was the 1st one the elder McArthur?
112thSOLCA
04-10-2006, 06:22
Correct Pete - Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain of the 20th Maine.
Medal of Honor recipient for his actions on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg.
I don't think the other pic is old enough to be the senior McArthur. The older McArthur was a Civil War vet and I am putting that pic circa early 1900s. Plus the clue said same AO for father and son. I am 99% sure that Stormin Normin lived in the Middle East with his family when he was young.
112thSOLCA
04-10-2006, 06:35
Here is another pic of the young paratrooper that I posted yesterday. This one was taken in Japan in 1946. That guy later went on to do some science fiction writing.
Who is it?
Was the 1st one the elder MacArthur?
Pete......you are correct sir.
That is indeed Arthur MacArthur. Both he and Douglas spent alot of time in the P.I. and in Japan. In fact that pic of Arthur was taken as he was in stationed in Japan.
Sorry 112th. :D
Here is another pic of the young paratrooper that I posted yesterday. This one was taken in Japan in 1946. That guy later went on to do some science fiction writing.
Who is it?
Hey Guys,
I'm not goggling this but just going off the top of my head. There was a number of individuals in this area of WW II that went on to be famous. Lee Marvin, Rod Sterling, Mr Rogers, Capt K etc.
Pete
112thSOLCA
04-10-2006, 07:30
Dang - I hate being wrong...I had deduced (incorrectly) that it couldn't be MacArthur.
Also, you are right (mostly) about the pic I posted. It is Rod Serling (not Sterling).
Lastly, googling is not a bad thing. I think if you google Mr. Rogers you will find he is not a veteran and Cpt. Kangaroo was a Marine but post WWII era.
Big day for me.... son left for Pineland and daughter just went into labor with first Grandbaby. You know you are getting old when exciting things are happening and all you can do is sit around, watch and wait.
Airbornelawyer
04-10-2006, 09:28
Okay,
The one on the right is one of the fathers of Special Forces.
Airbornelawyer
04-10-2006, 09:53
Gen. William Yarborough?
Good guess, but no. This is the earliest picture I could find of LTG Yarborough, as commander of the 509th in WW2, and it was too small for a "who am I".
Airbornelawyer
04-10-2006, 10:41
Col Aaron Banks?
Martin
It is Bank, not Banks, and that is not him, but closer.
Here is a later picture:
:o I saw the first picture in google and thought it might be, but no!
Whoops, missed the 2nd pic
The Reaper
04-10-2006, 10:51
It is Bank, not Banks, and that is not him, but closer.
Here is a later picture:
General Frederick.
TR
I was thinking GEN Frederick after seeing a different photo SFAHQ but since he was already on the first page.. :confused:
Airbornelawyer
04-10-2006, 11:05
General Frederick.
TR
We already did MG Frederick in this thread, and you got him ;) .
MG Frederick did receive two DSCs, as did the person shown in the official photo (however, the list of WW2 DSC recipients I have does not show the second award).
By the way, I doubt there exists a photo of Frederick in dress blues as a BG. He was only a BG for a short period during wartime, so he probably never sat for a photo in blues. This photo dates from the late 1950s, as the person pictured was promoted to BG on December 31, 1956, when he was Assistant Divisional COmmander of the 82nd Airborne.
Airbornelawyer
04-10-2006, 12:22
A hint - he is named somewhere in here several times: http://www.soc.mil/sofinfo/story.shtml
Airbornelawyer
04-10-2006, 12:23
And another pic, as a Colonel on the General Staff. I like the mini-CIB.
The Reaper
04-10-2006, 12:32
Well, of those considered to be among the founding fathers of SF, McClure was too senior to have been promoted to BG in 1956, I looked and Volckmann does not seem to be the right guy, nor does Fertig.
TR
Airbornelawyer
04-10-2006, 13:20
Why does Volckmann not seem to be the right guy?
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-04.html
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-05.html
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-06.html
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-07.html
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-08.html
The Reaper
04-10-2006, 13:29
Why does Volckmann not seem to be the right guy?
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-04.html
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-05.html
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-06.html
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-07.html
http://www.jacarst.com/history/hist05-08.html
Could find no record of the second DSC or having been the ADC of the Deuce.
Well played, Sir.
TR
Airbornelawyer
04-10-2006, 14:04
The thing is, I can't find a record of his second DSC either.
The list of DSCs compiled by Albert F. Gleim and George B. Harris III covers 5,057 awards. The "Home of Heroes" website states (http://www.homeofheroes.com/distinguishedservicecross/index.html) 5,088 awards, but does not yet provide their names. The statistics (https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/active/TAGD/awards/STATS/MAR_05_MAB_Statistics_by_Conflict%2c_Operation%2c_ or_Incident.doc) (Word format) of the Military Awards Branch at DA state 4,434 awards for World War Two, but note that "[t]he numbers for the individual decorations shown on these charts represent only those awards that were properly processed and reported to Headquarters, Department of the Army."
Gleim & Harris list Lt. Col. Russell W. Volckmann as receiving the DSC in U.S. Army Forces in the Far East General Order 21 of 1945. The date of action is January 20, 1945. Assuming this date is accurate, this would be after Volckmann's United States Forces in the Philippines-Northern Luzon had linked up with Gen. MacArthur's forces at Lingayen Gulf. No OLC is listed.
Most other DSCs to Philippine guerrilla leaders are dated not for a single date, as is typical for DSC citations, but for a period of service behind enemy lines (most OSS DSCs are the same). Thus, for example, Col. Wendell Fertig's DSC is dated "8 May-6 Aug 1943." The citation for Capt. Raymond C. Hunt, Jr. of the Luzon Guerrilla Forces is dated "21 Apr 42-30 Apr 45." Maj. Ralph Praeger's posthumous award was for "9 Apr 42-6 Aug 43" (his OLC was approved in 1946 and dated "13 Jan 42," when he was a captain with the 26th Cavalry (Philippine Scouts)). Maj. Robert Lapham's was dated "8 Dec 41-7 May 45."
I suppose Volckmann may have received one DSC for actions in January 1945 during the liberation of the Philippines, and a second, not listed in Gleim & Harris, for actions as a guerrilla leader during the occupation. Gleim & Harris is fairly exhaustive, but not complete.
Thought I'd revive this thread.
This gentleman is ?
What is his claim to fame?
What is his claim to fame?
First Black Officer to grad. from west point?
Jack Moroney (RIP)
04-15-2006, 05:09
He is wearing the MOH, so I assume that he is probably the first black American soldier to be awarded the medal.
He is wearing the MOH, so I assume that he is probably the first black American soldier to be awarded the medal.
Sgt William Carney, 54th Mass, for actions at Battery Wagoner, SC.
Most pictures show him in his younger days standing with the Colors.
Sgt William Carney, 54th Mass, for actions at Battery Wagoner, SC.
Most pictures show him in his younger days standing with the Colors.
He is wearing the MOH, so I assume that he is probably the first black American soldier to be awarded the medal.
That is who this gentleman is. Denzel Washington's character in the movie Glory is based off of Sgt Carney.
Next...This fella's claim to fame can AFTER his military service.
Next...This fella's claim to fame can AFTER his military service.
Lets see. Fighter pilot I'm thinking. Navy or MC. MC I think.
Next...This fella's claim to fame can AFTER his military service.
Sort of looks like COL John R. Boyd, USAF.
M
Sort of looks like COL John R. Boyd, USAF.
M
COL. Boyd's face appears to be longer. I think he didn't get into flying until 1947. This picture appears to have been taken in 44 +/- a year.
Lets see. Fighter pilot I'm thinking. Navy or MC. MC I think.
Sorry sir....NOT a pilot **hint**
edit ... Sorry sir, you are correct in saying that this fella is a Marine. = MC
Sort of looks like COL John R. Boyd, USAF.
Nope, sorry.
Hey Sdiver;
Let this one sit until the big guns get back from doing taxes and such. Lets see if somebody can come up with the answer by Monday.
Pete
Man-o-man are the welfare people in NC going to be happy this year. I could fund my kids college with the taxes I'm giving away. My girls, ya gotta love um. They said "That's OK Daddy, we'll work hard, get good grades and get as many grants and scholarships as we can to help out."
Hey Sdiver;
Let this one sit until the big guns get back from doing taxes and such. Lets see if somebody can come up with the answer by Monday.
Pete
Roger that.
I know A.L. knows it, so he's DQ'd. :D
I was going to start giving out other "hints", but I can wait awhile longer.:munchin
Man-o-man are the welfare people in NC going to be happy this year. I could fund my kids college with the taxes I'm giving away. My girls, ya gotta love um. They said "That's OK Daddy, we'll work hard, get good grades and get as many grants and scholarships as we can to help out."
:)
Very, very nice. You must be doing something right. :lifter
Martin
Okay...hint time.
Remember, this guys claim to fame came AFTER that photo was taken.
He asked Americans, at one time, to look for something under their beds.
112thSOLCA
04-18-2006, 06:17
This one had me stumped....
The hint was too generous. My guess is Joe McCarthy.
Joe McCarthy (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthy.htm)
I never really liked that guy!
When the United States entered the Second Word War McCarthy resigned as a circuit judge and joined the Marines. After the war McCarthy ran against Robert La Follette to become Republican candidate for the senate. As one of his biographers has pointed out, his campaign posters pictured him in "full fighting gear, with an aviator's cap, and belt upon belt of machine gun ammunition wrapped around his bulky torso." He claimed he had completed thirty-two missions when in fact he had a desk job and only flew in training exercises.
Airbornelawyer
04-18-2006, 12:09
Reminds me of Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who claimed to have flown missions in Vietnam. IIRC, it was later revealed that he was stationed in Japan, and on a couple of occasions had delivered repaired aircraft from repair shops there to bases in Vietnam.
Airbornelawyer
04-18-2006, 12:14
Here's one - maybe not too difficult...
Here's one - maybe not too difficult...
WO2 Keith Payne VC
Airbornelawyer
04-19-2006, 09:06
OK, a harder one. The colonel on the left.
Your clues:
1. It is in Korea, but he is most definitely not Korean.
2. Notwithstanding the holster, he is not American.
3. The file name is a hint.
You can also try to place the general on the right, but since he's a two-star wearing a division patch, it is fairly obvious what his job was.
He's Filipino.
COL Salvador Abcede, Philippine 20th BCT.
112thSOLCA
04-19-2006, 09:17
Col Salvador Abcede of Philippine 20 BCT and MG Robert H. Soule 3rd ID
Another soldier from the early days of SF, from Greece to the beginning of Vietnam.
Credited with designing the flash for a certain SF Group.
Airbornelawyer
04-19-2006, 11:13
He's Filipino.
COL Salvador Abcede, Philippine 20th BCT.
Col Salvador Abcede of Philippine 20 BCT and MG Robert H. Soule 3rd ID
OK, maybe not as hard as I thought, or too many clues. :cool:
Abcede, as a Lt. Col. received the Distinguished Service Cross in 1945 for his actions as a guerrilla leader on Negros. So he may deserve to be included with other U.S. Army officers (the Philippine Army was part of the U.S. Army then) like Wendell Fertig and Russell Volckmann among the forefathers of Special Forces, the men who conducted FID/UW in World War II.
I think we've discussed before who are the true antecedents of SF, rather than the official ones, mainly in connection with the 1st Special Service Force (more a commando/Ranger-type force than an SF one). My impression is that the main forefathers in WWII were the various OSS teams (OGs, Detachment 101 and Jedburghs) and the Philippine guerrilla leaders, the men who developed UW theory and put it into practice. The more DA-oriented units like the Ranger infantry battalions, Merrill's Marauders and the 1SSF are part of the special operations heritage, but not as directly related to SF.
...or too many clues. :cool:
In my case, yes.:)
Abcede, as a Lt. Col. received the Distinguished Service Cross in 1945 for his actions as a guerrilla leader on Negros. So he may deserve to be included with other U.S. Army officers (the Philippine Army was part of the U.S. Army then) like Wendell Fertig and Russell Volckmann among the forefathers of Special Forces, the men who conducted FID/UW in World War II.
Fertig is covered quite a bit in a couple of WEB Griffin's books. I know it's fiction, but the response of GEN MacArthur and his staff to Fertig was fascinating, and provided an impetus for further research on my part.
112thSOLCA
04-19-2006, 13:05
or too many clues.
AL
Yes, the 3rd ID patch and General Officer belt in the picture were probably enough for me to figure out the answers. The clues made it pretty quick work.
112thSOLCA
04-19-2006, 13:12
Perhaps MG Mike Healy?
Perhaps MG Mike Healy?
Right Group (for the flash), wrong officer.
COL George C. Morton, one of the namesakes of the SFA chapter in Las Vegas (http://www.sfa51.org), credited with designing the 5th Group flash (http://www.vetshome.com/military_special_forces_patches_history3.htm).
Col. Morton was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1914. He attended high school in Garden City, L.I., N.Y., and after graduation in 1932, he enlisted in the US Navy and served aboard destroyers in the 10th Destroyer Squadron, Atlantic Fleet. He entered the Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in 1934, and graduated in 1938, receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. At this time he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the US Army, and was assigned to the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.
During World War II, he served as a rifle company commander in the 343rd Infantry Regiment, 86th Infantry Division. With this division, he participated in the campaigns of Central Europe. In May of 1945 he was re-deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations where he served in the Campaign of Luzon in the Philippine Islands. In 1946 Col. Morton was promoted to the grade of Major, and assigned to the 57th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts, where he served successively as regimental S-3, and later, as battalion commander during the initial stages of the Hukbalahap Communist insurgency.
Upon his return to the United States in 1947, Col. Morton was assigned to ACofS; G-3, Headquarters Second Army at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and later to ACofS; G-3, 17th Airborne Division, Camp Pickett, Virginia. He attended the Infantry Officers Career Course at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1949, and upon graduation, was assigned to the 11th Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1950 and served successively as a battalion commander and regimental executive officer in the 511th Airborne Infantry Regiment, and later as Division Inspector General as a ACofS; G-1.
In 1953, Col. Morton attended the US Army Command & General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and upon graduation, he was assigned to Athens, Greece as the senior Special Forces advisor to the Royal Hellenic Raiding Forces. In this capacity, he was involved in stay-behind operations in northern Greece, on the Bulgarian, Yugoslavian and Albanian borders.
Col. Morton returned to the United States in 1956, and was assigned to ACofS; G-3, Headquarters US Continental Army Command, at Fort Monroe, Virginia. In 1957 he attended Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia, and for the next three years he served on the staff and faculty of the US Air Force Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, where he was responsible for developing joint Army-Air Force doctrine, and teaching joint airborne and special operations.
In 1961, Col. Morton attended the National War College, Washington, D.C. and was promoted to the grade of Colonel at the time of his graduation. Subsequent to graduation, he was assigned as Commander of the 4th US Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, with Headquarters at Munsan-ni, Korea. In 1962, Col. Morton was transferred directly from Korea to Vietnam where he was assigned initially as Chief of Special Operations, ACofS; J-3, Headquarters, US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, and later as the Commander of US Army Special Forces, Vietnam. In 1964, Col. Morton returned to the United States and was assigned as Assistant Commandant of the US Army Special Warfare School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was subsequently detailed to the Central Intelligence Agency for duty as a Special Operations Officer in Indochina, where he served until his retirement from the US Army.
Col. Morton retired from the US Army with 30 years of service in 1966, and immediately returned to Indochina where he served as a US Government Paramilitary Officer in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. From 1968 to 1973 he served as Chief of Operations for a 50,000 man US sponsored paramilitary force resisting communist aggression in Laos.
In 1973, Col. Morton again retired, and resided in Hilo, Hawaii, where he attended courses in Political Science at the University of Hawaii, Hilo Campus. In 1975, with the beginning of the SANG Modernization Program, Col. Morton was employed by the Vinnell Corporation, and served as senior advisor to the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Saudi Arabian National Guard. He later served as Assistant Director of Training for Training and Operations for Vinnell Corporation at Khashm Al An.
Col. Morton returned to the United States in December 1976 and successively served as the East Coast SANG Liaison Officer for students attending US Army Service Schools at Army installations East of the Mississippi River, as a recruiting officer, and as the DSO Operations Officer for the SANG Modernization Program.
Airbornelawyer
04-20-2006, 13:15
OK, an obscure one.
Clues:
1. He is part of the heritage of Special Forces (i.e., he served in one of those units mentioned in my post yesterday).
2. Besides a Distinguished Service Cross, he also has an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
...he also has an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
Just one Oscar, or multiple?
Airbornelawyer
04-20-2006, 16:01
Just one Oscar, or multiple?
Several nominations, one trophy on the mantle.
Roguish Lawyer
04-20-2006, 16:04
SF has infiltrated Hollywood? :munchin
OK, while I work on the Oscar winner, here's another one.
He has been called the greatest soldier of WWII, where he commanded two different divisions.
He appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Although he is pictured as a cadet, he did not graduate from West Point. His father did, as did his son, who was KIA in Vietnam while a battalion commander in the Big Red One.
The second picture shows him during WWII with his superiors.
Airbornelawyer
04-21-2006, 10:22
OK, while I work on the Oscar winner, here's another one.
He has been called the greatest soldier of WWII, where he commanded two different divisions.
He appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Although he is pictured as a cadet, he did not graduate from West Point. His father did, as did his son, who was KIA in Vietnam while a battalion commander in the Big Red One.
The second picture shows him during WWII with his superiors.
Terry de la Mesa Allen, AKA "Terrible Terry" Allen.
The son, LTC Terry Allen, Jr., is in the middle of the picture below, along with his subordinate unit commanders in 2-28 IN. He was KIA on 17 October 1967, the day after I was born. Of the others in the photo, from left to right:
CPT Carl Sanford Kizer, HHC Cdr - KIA 19 Jun 68
CPT James D. George, A Co Cdr - COL, retd.
CPT James Kasik, B Co Cdr - LTC, retd.
LTC Terry de la Mesa Allen, Jr., Bn Cdr, KIA 17 Oct 67
CPT Al Ziegler, C Co Cdr - ?
1LT Albert "Clark" Welch, D Co Cdr - LTC, retd.
1LT Bradley Wainwright Boehm, E Co Cdr, KIA 9 Jan 68
Welch was WIA in that battle which took LTC Allen's life, the Battle of Ong Thanh (Ông Thánh). He received a belated DSC for that battle in 2003, and a review was underway to upgrade that to the Medal of Honor. A former SF NCO, he was directly commissioned and served in 5th Group before being transferred to 2-28 IN. He returned to SF subsequently. Kasik also subsequently became an SF officer.
I don't know a lot of the details, but there seems to be a perception among a lot of 2-28 vets that LTC Allen blundered and led the battalion into an ambush that day, costing the lives of over 50 of his soldiers. My 12th grade humanities teacher was a mortar platoon leader in the Big Red One at the time, and I remember first reading about the battle in his division yearbook (when I wasn't paying attention in class).
Yep, MG Terry Allen (http://www.104infdiv.org/ALLEN.HTM). Although GEN Bradley reportedly called him his best division commander, he ultimately relieved him of command of the Big Red One.
Thanks for the good gouge on his son, I didn't know the SF connection. LTC Allen was also featured in a PBS documentary (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/twodays/peopleevents/p_families.html) on military families.
OK, an obscure one.
Clues:
1. He is part of the heritage of Special Forces (i.e., he served in one of those units mentioned in my post yesterday).
2. Besides a Distinguished Service Cross, he also has an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
Raphael Bretton, born Beugnon. Served in the OSS, received the Oscar for Best Art Direction for Hello, Dolly! in 1969.
Second Lieutenant Raphael G. Beugnon (then Private and Sergeant), Army of the United States, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy from 11 April 1944 to 10 September 1944. Second Lieutenant Beugnon was parachuted into France, in civilian clothing, as an organizer of resistance forces. He organized, trained and led resistance groups in sabotage activities against enemy objectives with such success that railway traffic in the Creil area was practically at a standstill and all underground cables were useless to the enemy. During the entire period of operations it was most difficult to deliver supplies to Second Lieutenant Beugnon because of the heavy enemy troop concentrations, and much of the demolition supply had to be improvised or taken from the enemy. He displayed much ingenuity and daring, as when, on one occasion, he recovered an unexploded aerial bomb, transported it to a bridge, and used the explosive for partially demolishing that target. He entered military service from England.
Another veteran of a heritage unit to which AL referred.
He went on to win a Nobel Prize for co-inventing a device which formed the foundation of the computer.