Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Alvan Cullom Gillem Jr. (August 8, 1888 – February 13, 1973) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer who came from a family with a long military tradition and served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early career

After attending the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

in 1908, Gillem enlisted in the Regular Army in 1910 and served both as a private and a corporal with the

17th Infantry The 17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, later of the united British Indian Army. It was formed at Phillour in 1858 by Major J. C. Innes from men of the 3rd, 36th and 61st Bengal Native Infantry regiment ...

Fort McPherson Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in Atlanta, Georgia, bordering the northern edge of the city of East Point, Georgia. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Ar ...

. On February 11, 1911, while still at Fort McPherson, he was appointed a second lieutenant of Infantry. He served in the Philippines and later served under Brigadier General

John J. Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...

on the Mexican Border in 1916. During World War I, Gillem served with the American Expeditionary Forces in Siberia for eight months from 1918 to 1919. In 1923, Captain Gillem attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College. Following this, he was promoted to major. Gillem was promoted to lieutenant colonel and commanded an infantry battalion for two years. Then he commanded the 66th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks) for 10 months, the only armored regiment in the United States Army at the time. He was promoted to brigadier general in January 1941 and then given command of the 2nd Armored Brigade. He became the first commanding general of the 3rd Armored Division from April 1941 to January 1942, dubbing it the "''Spearhead''" division. He received promotion to major general in December 1941.

World War II

Early during World War II, Gillem was mostly stationed stateside. He was given command of the II Armored Corps (later redesignated XVIII Corps) and later the Armored Command at

Fort Knox, Kentucky Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...

. Gillem commanded the XIII Corps, Ninth United States Army in the European Theater of Operations from September 1944 to September 1945. In June 1945 he was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. His corps came within 50 miles of Berlin, the closest of all United States troops. He was selected to command the Armored Task Force that was scheduled to invade Japan, but Japan surrendered before the invasion plan was carried out.

Postwar positions

Board for Utilization of Negro Manpower (1945–1946)

From October 1945 to April 1946, Gillem chaired the "Board for Utilization of Negro Manpower" (or Gillem Board). Its report, "Utilization of Negro Manpower in the Postwar Army Policy", was presented in April 1946. It is noted for its recommendations to retain segregation, as that was a policy external to the military, but introduce equal opportunity, as that would be the best use of military manpower. :Recommendations by the Board * The number of black enlisted men should meet a quota of at least 10% of the Army's size. This would be proportional to the national population. * Black troops would serve in all-black platoons or companies that would be integrated into all-white battalions. This would be done to share experience and knowledge, which would improve unit quality. * Black enlisted men who were qualified should attend specialty and technical schools. * Black commissioned officers would be promoted by the same standards as their white counterparts. On March 17, 1949, Gillem and

John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and a presidential advisor. He served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry Stimson, helping deal with issues such as German sa ...

(former Assistant Secretary of War during

) testified before the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services. Gillem served on it from 1949 to 1950.

Command of the Third Army (1947–1950)

Gillem assumed command of the United States Third Army in June 1947. When the Third Army headquarters was moved from

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, to

in 1947, Gillem also assumed command of the post. In 1947 Gillem served as an assistant to General

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...

on his Presidential mission to China. He then served as special assistant to the commander of the United States forces in Nanking, commander of the China Service Command in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, and later American Commissioner in Peking. Gillem retired from the army in August 1950 with the rank of lieutenant general.

Later life

Upon the end of his military career, Gillen served for four years as executive director of the National Foundation for the

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to comba ...

in the 1960s. Gillem died on February 13, 1973, in an Atlanta Hospital at the age of 85. Both he and his wife Virginia (Harrison) Gillem are buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

, in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

Family

Gillem's grandfather,

Alvan Cullem Gillem Alvan Cullem Gillem (July 29, 1830 – December 2, 1875) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although Southern-born, he remained loyal to the Federal government and fought in several battles in the Western Theater befor ...

graduated from West Point in 1851. He served in the Civil War with the Union Army, finishing the war as a brevet major general of United States Volunteers. Gillem's parents were Colonel Alvan Cullom Gillem, Sr., a cavalry officer in the United States Army, and Bessie Coykendall. Both were buried at

. Gillem had three children: Alvan, Richard, and Mary. The elder son, Alvan Cullem Gillem II, was born in Nogales, Arizona, in 1917, and became a lieutenant general in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

,United States Military Academy. ''The Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point: 2004''. Connecticut. Elm Press. 2004. p. 2:48 Gillem's second son, Richard D. Gillem, became a lieutenant colonel in the army.

Military awards

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

with

bronze oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Mexican Border Service Medal The Mexican Border Service Medal was a U.S. service medal established by an Act of Congress on July 9, 1918. It was awarded for service between May 9, 1916 and March 24, 1917, or with the Mexican Border Patrol between January 1, 1916 to April ...

* World War I Victory Medal *

American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served ...

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal * World War II Victory Medal * Army of Occupation Medal * National Defense Service Medal * Dutch Grand Officer in the ''Order of Oranje Nassau'' (ON.2)

Bibliography

References

External links

*
Alvan Cullom Gillem Jr. Collection of Documents Regarding Gillem Board and Negroes in the Armed Forces, 1945–1951, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library

''Call Me Spearhead – The Official Newsletter of the Association of 3rd Armored Division Veterans''. Vol 4, Issue 3 (July 1, 2004)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillem, Alvan Cullom Jr. 1888 births 1973 deaths United States Army Infantry Branch personnel United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni University of Arizona alumni United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army personnel of World War I American military personnel of the Russian Civil War Military personnel from Tennessee