LeRoy Eltinge (September 17, 1872 – May 13, 1931) 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 ...

officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in several wars and conflicts, including the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

and

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 ...

, for which he received the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...

and multiple other awards.

Biography

Eltinge was born on September 17, 1872, in South Woodstock, New York. he graduated from 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 ...

in 1896 and was commissioned into the

4th Cavalry Regiment The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage is traced back to the mid-19th century. It was one of the most effective units of the Army against American Indians on the Texas frontier. Today, the regiment exis ...

. Eltinge served in the Philippines from 1898 to 1899 as part of the

and from 1901 to 1903 as part of the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. He was wounded in the latter conflict and received a

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 ...

. Eltinge served in the

Second Occupation of Cuba The Provisional Government of Cuba ( Spanish: ''Gobierno Provisional de Cuba'') lasted from September 1906 to February 1909. This period was also referred to as the Second occupation of Cuba. When the government of Cuban President Tomás Est ...

from 1906 to 1907, and he became an honor graduate of the School of the Line in 1908. After graduating from the Army Staff College in 1909, he served as an instructor there until 1912. Eltinge went to the border of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in 1914, and he participated in the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

in 1916. On July 28, 1917, Eltinge went to

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 ...

as part of the G-3 Operations Section of the General Staff. After becoming Deputy Chief of Staff on May 1, 1918, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on August 1, 1918. Eltinge's assignment ended on June 30, 1919. He received the

for his efforts in the war, and he received numerous foreign awards. The citation for his Army DSM reads: Between 1921 and 1923, Eltinge served as Assistant Chief of Staff of the Philippine Department, and he served as the commanding general of the Operations and Training Division of the U.S. Army from June 2, 1924, to April 19, 1925. Eltinge died in

Fort Omaha Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Oma ...

on May 13, 1931. He is 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. ...

Personal life

Eltinge married Effee B. Trotter on December 3, 1897, and they had one daughter together. He was a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Legacy

The , which was launched in 1944, was named after Eltinge.

Awards

(Sources:) *

Legion of Honour 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 society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(France) *

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 ...

(France) *

Order of the Crown (Belgium) The Order of the Crown (, ) is a national Order (decoration), order of the Belgium, Kingdom of Belgium. The Order is one of Belgium's highest honors. History The Order was established on October 15, 1897, by Leopold II of Belgium, King Leopold ...

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

Companion of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

(United Kingdom) * Order of La Solidaridad (Panama)

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eltinge, LeRoy 1872 births 1931 deaths United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel People from Woodstock, New York American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Commanders of the Legion of Honour American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Recipients of Italian civil awards and decorations Honorary companions of the Order of the Bath United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from New York (state) 19th-century United States Army personnel