Brigadier General Claudius Miller Easley (July 11, 1891 – June 19, 1945) was a decorated

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who was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

by the Japanese during the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

Early life and military career

Claudius Miller Easley was born on July 11, 1891, in the small village of Thorp Spring, Hood County, Texas as the eldest son of Alexander Campbell Easley and his wife Claudia Miller. His family later moved to

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...

when Easley was at a very young age. He subsequently attended local Waco High School, where he graduated in 1911. During his time at high school, Easley enlisted in the

Texas National Guard The Texas Military Forces (TXMF) are the principal instrument through which the Texas Military Department (TMD) executes security policy for Texas, which has the second-largest population and border in the United States. The Texas Military Forc ...

and participated in Rifle-marksmanship competition at

Camp Perry Camp Perry is a United States National Guard, National Guard training facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton, Ohio, Port Clinton. In addition to its regular mission as a military training base, Camp Perry a ...

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. He was later commissioned as an officer, with the rank of second lieutenant in the Infantry Branch on July 11, 1912, his 21st birthday. He later attended the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas and graduated in 1916 with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering Degree. With the graduation from college, Easley decided for active service in the

. He served first with the Texas Army National Guard on the

Mexican Border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the sou ...

and while he was commissioned in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

in 1917, shortly after the

American entry into World War I The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Europe. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and an a ...

, he remained for further border patrol duties with the 37th Infantry Regiment, not seeing service in

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Between the wars

Easley was then sent to the U.S. Army Infantry School at

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

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, where he graduated from the Advanced Infantry Course in 1919. In 1921, Easley was transferred to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, where he was assigned to the 31st Infantry Regiment, then stationed at

Fort William McKinley Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly Fort William McKinley) is the site of the national headquarters of the Philippine Army (Headquarters Philippine Army or HPA) located in Taguig, Philippines. The camp is named after Andres Bonifacio, the revolutio ...

. He served a three-year tour of duty in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, before he returned to the United States. He also attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School 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 ...

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in 1925. He was subsequently assigned to the 4th Infantry Regiment at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was followed by short period of duties with the 30th Infantry Regiment at

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

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. In 1930, he was appointed an Instructor in the Weapons Section of the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia and served in this capacity until 1934. He was later appointed a commander of the

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District of the

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. As an avid and experienced marksman, Easley served as Captain of the Infantry Rifle and Pistol Teams during the years 1937-1939. He was subsequently ordered for studies at

U.S. Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a United States Army, U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle B ...

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and graduated in 1940.

World War II

After his graduation, Easley remained in

, because he was assigned to the War Department General Staff, where he was responsible for the Storage Section of Requirements and Distribution branch of the Supply Division. He stayed there until February 1942, when he was transferred to Camp Claiborne,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, where he was appointed as commander of the 325th Infantry Regiment, which later became the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment when the regiment's parent formation, the 82nd Infantry Division under Major General

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (12 February 1893 – 8 April 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He wa ...

, became the U.S. Army's first airborne division and was redesignated the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

In September 1942 Easley was transferred to Camp Adair,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, where he was appointed Assistant Division Commander (ADC) of the 96th Infantry Division, commanded by Major General James L. Bradley. He was also promoted to the one-star

general officer 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 ...

of brigadier general. Brigadier General Easley personally supervised the 96th Division's marksmanship training and helped to keep the high level of marksmanship. Thus division gained the nickname "Deadeyes". Easley also participated in the Oregon Maneuver during the fall of 1943. The 96th Division was sent to

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in July 1944 for preparation for landing in

. Brigadier General Easley subsequently went ashore during the

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and was wounded by enemy sniper fire. He was later decorated with the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

for meritorious conduct and leadership and the

Bronze Star 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 ...

for gallantry in action. MemorialOfBrigGenEasleyOfUSArmy

Easley remained in command and later participated in the

, where he was decorated with 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 ...

for gallantry in action. On June 19, 1945, during the final phase of the battle, Easley went to the front to check the progress of his troops as they cleared the last Japanese positions. After a Japanese machine gun opened fire and wounded one of his aides, Easley crawled to the top of a knoll to try to locate its position. As he peered over the edge of the knoll, the machine gun fired a burst in his direction, and two rounds hit him in the forehead, killing him instantly.Sloan, Bill: ''The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945 – The Last Epic Struggle of World War II'', p. 319 He was the second general officer killed in action during one week on

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

just a day after US Army Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. was killed by Japanese artillery fire. He was initially buried in Okinawa, but was later reburied in the United States at

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. ...

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. His son Claudius Miller Easley, Jr., served as a lieutenant colonel with the Sixth Army. On April 21, 1946, Easley was posthumously awarded a Doctorate of Laws by AMC.

Decorations

Brigadier General Claudius M. Easley´s ribbon bar:

References

External links

His monument at Kuniyoshi, Itoman City Okinawa, where he died.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Easley, Claudius Miller 1891 births 1945 deaths United States Army Infantry Branch personnel Military personnel from Waco, Texas Texas A&M University alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Waco High School alumni United States Army generals of World War II