Jimmie Leach
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James Herbert Leach (April 7, 1922 – December 17, 2009) 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 ...
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
who served as a tank company commander in
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 ...
and an armored regiment commander in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. He was awarded 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) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
in World War II and three
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 ...
s in Vietnam.


Career

During World War II, in July 1944 and 1945, Leach (then a
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
) served in combat under Lieutenant Colonel
Creighton Abrams Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. (15 September 1914 – 4 September 1974) was a United States Army General (United States), general who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972. He was then Chief of Staff of the United Sta ...
(
Abrams tank The M1 Abrams () is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare, it is one of the heaviest ...
) who commanded the 37th Tank Battalion of the 4th Armored Division, which beginning on August 1, 1944, joined and spearheaded for
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 ...
George Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...
and his Third Army. On June 28, after landing in
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
on June 11 after
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
(June 6) at Utah Beach, the 4th AD participated in
Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was an offensive launched by the First United States Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the dis ...
, which began the offensive out of Normandy and subsequent rapid advance across France, through the Lorraine Campaign and the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
. From May to September 1948, Leach served as U.S. Army liaison to the government of South Korea on Jeju island at the beginning of the insurrection that has been termed the
Jeju uprising The Jeju uprising (in South Korea, the ''Jeju April 3 incident'', ) was an insurrection on Jeju Island, South Korea from April 1948 to May 1949. A year prior to its start, residents of Jeju had begun protesting elections scheduled by the Un ...
. Col. Leach later commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry as the 40th "Colonel of the Regiment" 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 ...
from April–December 1969, having taken command from Col.
George Patton IV George Smith Patton IV (December 24, 1923 – June 27, 2004) was a major general in the United States Army and the son of World War II General George S. Patton Jr. He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Career Patton was educate ...
, son of his Third Army World War commander. As Chief of Armor Branch of the US Army in 1970–1972 he oversaw the careers of 3500 field-grade Army officers. As Chief, Col. Leach paid particular attention to the desire of battle-wounded officers to remain active in the Army. General Frederick M. Franks, Jr. credits Col. Leach with the critical role in maintaining his Army career and the career of other officers after Franks lost a foot in combat in Vietnam. Franks later led elements of Operation Desert Storm in the first Gulf War. Col. Leach received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism at Bigonville, Luxembourg on December 24, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, and earned five Purple Hearts for wounds in the European campaigns. He also was awarded the Croix de Guerre of Luxembourg, Virtuti Militarie – Poland, two Legion of Merits, three Silver Stars during Vietnam, and two Bronze Star Medals for heroism. Other honors include: Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame, Ft. Benning, GA; First recipient of the Gold Medal of the Order of St. George, US Armor Association in 1986; Professor of Military History, Ft. Knox, Kentucky; President of Military Officers of America Association; and President of the Veterans Cemetery Committee of Beaufort (VCCOB). He was the posthumous recipient of the
French 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 ...
, in 2010. After retirement from the U.S. Army in 1974, Col. Leach worked for defense contractor Teledyne for 14 years before retiring to Beaufort, SC. Col. Leach led successful efforts to expand the National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina. a resting place for war dead since the Civil War. He last visited France in September 2009, celebrating the 65th anniversary of the American liberation of the Province of Lorraine. At Chancenay, the memorial for the
Battle of Arracourt The Battle of Arracourt took place between U.S. and German armoured forces near the town of Arracourt, Lorraine, France between 18 and 29 September 1944, during the Lorraine Campaign of World War II. As part of a counteroffensive against re ...
and three other celebrations, Col. Leach offered remarks honoring the French and the soldiers who participated in his battles. In 1983, COL LEACH became the Honorary Colonel of the 37th Armor Regiment. For more than two decades, he visited active battalions of the 37th ARMOR to ensure that the current battalion leadership learned about the history of this unit. It was his example that inspired the creation of the 37th Armor Alumni Association that today numbers 5,000 members. www.courageconquers.com Lt. Colonel Abrams, who became U.S. commander in Vietnam and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described young Capt. Leach at 22: ''"The placid, modest, friendly exterior of this Officer disguises the fighting heart of a lion and the tenaciousness of a bulldog, all seasoned with an engaging personality.'' – Lt. Colonel Creighton W. Abrams, Dec. 31, 1944."


References


External links


Tanker Jimmie Leach: One of Patton's Last WWII Tank Commanders Tells His Story of War and Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leach, Jimmie 1922 births 2009 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Tank commanders Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army colonels