George Windle Read Jr. (29 July 1900 – 15 December 1974) was a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

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 ...

. He was prominent as a top-tier

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

player, a successful commander 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 ...

armor units, and the U.S. Army's Chief of Armor.

Early life

Read was born at

Fort Grant, Arizona Fort Grant is a Arizona State Prison, state prison and a former United States US Army, Army fortification in the U.S. state of Arizona. Fort Grant is located on the southwestern slope of Mount Graham in what is now Graham County, Arizona, Graham ...

, on 29 July 1900,The Monthly Supplement: a Current Biographical Reference Service, published by Who’s Who, Inc., 1944, Volumes 5-6, page 247 the son of Burton Young Read and Major General

George Windle Read Major general (United States), Major General George Windle Read (November 19, 1860 – November 6, 1934) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer who was prominent as a corps and Division (military), division commander in W ...

(1860–1934), one of the top commanders in the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. His grandfather was Lieutenant General S.B.M. Young, who served as the first Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Read was educated on military posts throughout the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and graduated from Central High School in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Read was decided upon a military career from an early age; at 13, he took part in a summer

Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...

encampment that included military training. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Washington's high schools maintained a corps of cadets, with students organized into companies and regiments for drill and ceremony competitions. During his high school years, Read was an active participant as a member of the corps' Company H, 1st Regiment.

World War I

Read enlisted in the Army on 15 May 1917, shortly before his seventeenth birthday. He served with the 15th Cavalry Regiment and the 30th and 42nd Infantry Divisions during

, attaining the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Post World War I

Read completed the

officer candidate school An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. H ...

Langres Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est. History As the capital ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

in 1919. He soon transferred to

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

, and graduated from the Cavalry School Basic Course in 1921. He served throughout the

and overseas during the 1920s and 1930s. From 1922 to 1925 Read served in 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 ...

as aide de camp to his father.Life of the Soldier and the Airman, Volumes 35-36, 1953, page 289 A championship caliber

player, Read took part in several tournaments during the 1920s and 1930s, playing on teams sponsored by the Army. Read graduated from the Cavalry School Regular Course in 1937, afterwards serving in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

as an observer in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and a member of the Armored Force Board that was based in

Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

World War II

After graduating from the

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 1941, Read was assigned as Training and Operations Officer, G-3, for the

6th Armored Division The 6th Armored Division ("Super Sixth") was an armored division of the United States Army during World War II. It was formed with a cadre from the 2nd Armored Division. History Training The 6th Armored Division was activated on 15 Feb ...

. Read served with the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

throughout

, including assignments as commander of the 68th Tank Regiment, commander of the division's Combat Command B, assistant division commander, and division commander from April to May, 1945 and again from July until the division was deactivated in September, 1945.

Post World War II

In the late 1940s Read served as President of Army Ground Forces Board 3 at Ft. Benning, Georgia. (The Army created several ground forces boards to test new weapons and equipment and make procurement recommendations.) From 1948 to 1950 Read served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, G-4, for the

United States Constabulary The United States Constabulary was a United States Army military gendarmerie force. From 1946 to 1952, in the aftermath of World War II, it acted as an occupation and security force in the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany, U.S. Occupation Zone ...

. During the early 1950s General Read commanded 1st Brigade,

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 April 1952 to April 1953 Read served as commander of the 2nd Armored Division. In 1953 Read was assigned as commander of the U.S. Army Armor Center and School at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, where he remained until 1955. He then commanded Allied Land Forces South East Europe, remaining in this post until 1957. In 1957 Read assumed command of the

Second United States Army Second Army was most recently located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as a Direct Reporting Unit to Headquarters U.S. Army, Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6. Under the CIO/G-6, Second Army served as the single point of contact for Army missions an ...

, remaining in this position until his retirement in 1960.

Awards and decorations

General Read's U.S. decorations included multiple awards of the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...

, 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 ...

, and multiple awards of 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 ...

and

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

. His foreign awards included the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

and

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

with Palm, Belgian

Luxembourg War Cross The Luxembourg War Cross (, ) is a military decoration of Luxembourg. It was created on 17 April 1945 by the Duchess, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg. The War Cross recognizes military service and feats of bravery. The medal is often referred ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Phoenix, and

Order of Merit (Chile) The Order of Merit () is a Chilean order of merit and was created in 1929. Succeeding the Medal of the Merit, which was created during the term of the President Germán Riesco through the Minister of War decree No. 1350 on 4 September 1906. This ...

Retirement and death

General Read resided in Aptos, Santa Cruz County, California after his retirement from the Army, and died at Fort Ord's Silas B. Hays Army Hospital on 15 December 1974, from the effects of lymphocytic leukemia. He was buried 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. ...

, Section 3, Site 3946.

Family

In 1933, Read married Ernestine Eaton Renzel (1903–1988). They had no children.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Read, George Windle Jr. 1900 births United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit American recipients of the Legion of Honour American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) American recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) People from Aptos, California 1974 deaths People from Graham County, Arizona Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War II Military personnel from Arizona