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Joseph May Swing was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on February 28, 1894, son of Mary Ann (née Snellgrove) and Joseph Swing. He attended the
After being promoted to the temporary rank of
Swing commanded the 11th Airborne Division, during which time his permanent rank became brigadier general on June 16, 1947, until 1948 when he was assigned command of 
After leaving the army, his friend and former West Point classmate President
Army Distinguished Service Medal
* 
Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters
* 
Legion of Merit
* 
Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters
* 
Biography from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website
*
''Washington Post'' obituary, dated 12 December 1984
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Swing, Joseph May 1894 births 1984 deaths United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Jersey City, New Jersey Recipients of the Air Medal Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1915 United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Military personnel from New Jersey
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 ...
Joseph May Swing (February 28, 1894 – December 9, 1984) was a senior United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
, who fought 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 ...
and commanded the 11th Airborne Division during the campaign to liberate the Philippines in 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 opposing ...
.
Early life and military career
Joseph May Swing was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on February 28, 1894, son of Mary Ann (née Snellgrove) and Joseph Swing. He attended the United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
at West Point and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation in 1915 (as part of "the class the stars fell on
"The class the stars fell on" is an expression used to describe the class of 1915 at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. In the United States Army, the insignia reserved for generals is one or more stars. Of the 164 gradu ...
"). In 1916, he served in John J. Pershing Punitive Expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beh ...
against Pancho Villa
Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...
in Mexico. During World War I, he served in France with the 1st Infantry Division. After returning to the United States, he served as an aide to General Peyton March, who soon became 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 ...
. He married General March's daughter, Josephine, on July 8, 1918.
Between the wars
After the war, Swing continued his career in theartillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
, graduating with honors from the United States Army Field Artillery School
The United States Army Field Artillery School (USAFAS) trains Field Artillery Soldiers and Marines in tactics, techniques, and procedures for the employment of fire support systems in support of the maneuver commander. The school further develo ...
at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1927 he graduated from the Command and General Staff School
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 ...
at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and in 1935 he graduated from the United States Army War College
The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...
in Washington D.C. On June 24, 1936 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. From 1938 to 1940 he served as chief of staff for the 2nd Infantry Division, then as commander of artillery for the 1st Cavalry Division. On June 26, 1941 he was promoted to colonel in the Army of the United States
The Army of the United States is one of the four major service components of the United States Army (the others being the Regular Army, the United States Army Reserve and the Army National Guard of the United States), but it has been inactive si ...
(AUS).
World War II
Swing was promoted tobrigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
(AUS) on February 16, 1942 and organized the division artillery of the 82nd Infantry Division, shortly before their conversion to an airborne division.
After being promoted to the temporary rank of major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
, on February 15, 1943 Swing activated the newly formed 11th Airborne Division at Camp Mackall
Camp Mackall is an active U.S. Army training facility located in eastern Richmond County and northern Scotland County, North Carolina, south of the town of Southern Pines. The facility is in close proximity to and is a sub-installation of Fort ...
, North Carolina. He was then sent to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) to assist with planning the airborne operations conducted during Operation Husky
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
, the invasion of Sicily. His permanent rank was upgraded from lieutenant colonel to colonel on August 1, 1943.
After returning to the United States, he continued to oversee the training of the 11th Airborne Division, leading them to a successful victory in the Knollwood training maneuver on December 7, 1943. The performance of Swing and the 11th Airborne is credited with saving the concept of the airborne division.
Swing and the officers and men of the 11th Airborne Division shipped out for the Southwest Pacific
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
in May 1944. He would lead the division for the duration of the war, from the invasion of the Philippines to the occupation of Japan. Swing and the 11th Airborne greeted General Douglas MacArthur upon his arrival in Japan at Atsugi Airdrome on August 30, 1945.
Postwar
Swing commanded the 11th Airborne Division, during which time his permanent rank became brigadier general on June 16, 1947, until 1948 when he was assigned command of I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to:
France
* 1st Army Corps (France)
* I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...
in Kyoto, Japan. On January 24, 1948 his rank was made major general. This was followed by a stint as commandant of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, then as commandant of the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. His final posting was as commander of the Sixth Army in San Francisco in 1951. Swing retired from active duty on February 28, 1954, retiring with 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 ...
.
After leaving the army, his friend and former West Point classmate President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
nominated him as the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. Following confirmation, Swing served as the head of the INS from 1954 to 1962. Among the programs he implemented was the controversial Operation Wetback
Operation Wetback was an immigration law enforcement initiative created by Joseph Swing, the Director of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), in cooperation with the Mexican government. The program was implemented in ...
(1954), designed to slow the number of illegal border crossings from Mexico.
Swing died in San Francisco at the age of 90 on December 9, 1984, and is 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 ...
with his wife Josephine Mary Swing (1895–1972).
Decorations
* Parachutist Badge
A parachutist badge (or parachutist brevet) is a military badge awarded by the armed forces of many states to soldiers who have received parachute training and completed the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was the ...
* Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
* Army Distinguished Service Medal
* Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters
* Legion of Merit
* Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters
* Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
with oak leaf cluster
References
External links
Biography from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website
*
''Washington Post'' obituary, dated 12 December 1984
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Swing, Joseph May 1894 births 1984 deaths United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Jersey City, New Jersey Recipients of the Air Medal Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1915 United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Military personnel from New Jersey