George William Casey Sr. (March 9, 1922 – July 7, 1970) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

major general who was killed in a helicopter crash in July 1970, in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

. General Casey, who had served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, was in command of the US 1st Cavalry Division at the time of his death. His son George W. Casey Jr. served as the 36th

Chief of Staff of the United States Army The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a ...

from April 2007 to April 2011.

Early life and education

Casey was born into an

Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

family in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

on March 9, 1922. He attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

for a year before transferring to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

at West Point, graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in 1945, a year early because of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in 1958 and a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

degree from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 1965. He went on to conduct postgraduate study at the

Center for International Affairs The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA), formerly Center for International Affairs (CFIA) is a research center for international affairs and the largest international research center within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts a ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Military career

Casey completed the Infantry School Basic Course in November 1945, and was sent to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in December. He served with the 188th Parachute Infantry Regiment with the Far East Command from January 1946 to November 1948, and then served with the

17th Airborne Division The 17th Airborne Division, "The Golden Talons", was an airborne infantry division of the United States Army during World War II, commanded by Major General William M. Miley. Activated in April 1943, the division took part in the Knollwood ...

at Camp Pickett, Virginia, from December 1948 to May 1949. Casey then transferred to the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, and then the

11th Airborne Division The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army multirole infantry division made up of specialized light infantry and airborne infantry based in Alaska. Currently, this unit specializes in arctic warfare, airborne operat ...

Camp Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Divi ...

, Kentucky, where he served from June 1949 to November 1951. His post-war assignments included aide-de-camp to General

Lyman L. Lemnitzer Lyman Louis Lemnitzer (29 August 1899 – 12 November 1988) was a United States Army General (United States), general who served as the fourth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1960 to 1962. He then served as the Supreme Allied Commander ...

Korean War

Casey served in combat during the

, commanding a 7th Infantry Division company in engagements including the

Battle of Heartbreak Ridge The Battle of Heartbreak Ridge (; ), also known as the Battle of Wendengli (), was a month-long battle in the Korean War which took place between 13 September and 15 October 1951. After withdrawing from Bloody Ridge, the Korean People's Army (K ...

, for which he received the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

. He returned to the United States in July 1952.

Post war

In 1957 he graduated from the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

. In 1963 he graduated from the

National War College In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

. He commanded 3rd Brigade, 8th Infantry Division in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

from 1963 to 1965.

Vietnam War

In the late 1960s he served with the 1st Cavalry Division, first as chief of staff, then as commander of 2nd Brigade, and later as assistant division commander. He served as the Chief of Staff of the division, and later commander of 2nd Brigade,

1st Air Cavalry Division The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team") is a Armored brigade combat team, combined arms division (military), division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army. It is based at Fort Cavazos, Texas. It was for ...

, in

, from September 1966 to October 1967. Casey served with U.S. Army Combat Developments Command at

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir ( ) is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir (plantation), Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Lord ...

, Virginia, from October 1967 to August 1968, and then as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Combat Developments Command Combat Arms Group at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Kansas, from September 1968 to July 1969. While home on leave from serving in Vietnam, he was promoted to major general during a ceremony on April 30, 1970, at the

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

. In May 1970, he assumed command of the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam.

Death

On July 7, 1970, he was killed in a helicopter crash in

when the

UH-1H The Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter, first introduced in 1959, is the first production member of Bell Helicopter's prolific Huey family of helicopters, and was itself developed in over twenty variants, which are listed below. XH-40 and Y ...

Huey helicopter he was co-piloting hit a mountain due to poor weather near Bao Luc as he was en route to

Cam Ranh Cam Ranh () is a port-city in Southern Khánh Hòa Province, in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. History Cam Ranh, known in the ancient Ede language as Kăm Mran, is a land closely associated with the development of the Champa cult ...

to visit wounded troops, before they were transported to

for medical treatment. Seven men died in the crash. The wreckage of the helicopter was found within days. Casey was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Awards and decorations

His awards and decorations include: ;Badges ;Decorations ;Service Medals ;Foreign Awards

Personal life

Casey and his wife had three daughters and two sons. One of those sons, George W. Casey Jr. (born July 22, 1948) is a retired four-star

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who served as the 36th

from April 10, 2007, to April 10, 2011.

References

External links

George William Casey
at The Virtual Wall. Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

at Arlington National Cemetery {{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, George W. Sr. 1922 births 1970 deaths United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel killed in the Vietnam War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni National War College alumni Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni George Washington University School of Business alumni United States Army generals Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents American people of Irish descent Recipients of the Air Medal Harvard College alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1970 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Vietnam