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 a ...

Albert Whitney Waldron (January 13, 1892 – June 21, 1961) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer who served during

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 opposin ...

. He briefly replaced Major General

Edwin F. Harding Edwin Forrest Harding (September 18, 1886June 5, 1970) commanded the 32nd Infantry Division at the beginning of World War II. He graduated 74th among his classmates from the United States Military Academy in 1909, who included John C. H. Lee (1 ...

as the commander of the 32nd Infantry Division during the

Battle of Buna–Gona The battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. It followed the conclusion of the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by ...

and was wounded in the shoulder on 5 December 1942 after being shot by a sniper. He received 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 ...

and 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. Th ...

for his actions during the war.

Early military career

Albert Whitney Waldron was born on January 13, 1892, in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. 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 ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

, in 1911 and graduated four years later as a 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 ...

" (59 members of this class became

general officers A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

during

). For example:

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, ...

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 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. Bradley ...

James Van Fleet General James Alward Van Fleet (March 19, 1892 – September 23, 1992) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised in Florida and gradu ...

Henry Aurand Lieutenant General Henry Spiese Aurand (April 21, 1894June 18, 1980) was a United States Army career officer. He was a veteran of World War I, World War II and the Korean War. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New Yo ...

Stafford LeRoy Irwin Lieutenant General Stafford LeRoy Irwin (March 23, 1893 – November 23, 1955) was a senior United States Army officer who served in World War II. He came from a family with a strong military tradition: he was the son of Major General George LeRo ...

, Paul J. Mueller, John W. Leonard, William E. R. Covell,

, Joseph T. McNarney,

Roscoe B. Woodruff Major General Roscoe Barnett Woodruff (February 9, 1891 – April 24, 1975) was a career United States Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II and served for 38 years. During World War II he commanded numerous divisions and c ...

Joseph May Swing Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Joseph May Swing (February 28, 1894 – December 9, 1984) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer, who fought in World War I and commanded the 11th Airborne Division ( ...

, A. Arnim White,

Thomas B. Larkin Lieutenant General Thomas Bernard Larkin (December 15, 1890 – October 17, 1968) was a military officer who served as the 32nd Quartermaster General of the United States Army. Early life Larkin was born in Louisburg, Wisconsin and attended th ...

, and others. Waldron was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery Branch of the

on June 12, 1915. His first military assignment was with the

4th Field Artillery Regiment The 4th Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery Branch regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1907. History The 4th Field Artillery Regiment was first activated in 1907 from numbered companies of artillery. It was first orga ...

stationed at

Texas City, Texas Texas City is a city in Galveston County, Texas, Galveston County in the U.S. state of Texas. Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a busy deepwater port on Texas's Gulf Coast, as well as a petroleum-refining and pe ...

. His unit was subsequently transferred to the

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...

, where he served until March 1916, when he participated in

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, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

. After seven months of service in Mexico, Waldron, promoted on July 1 to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

, returned to the United States in October 1916 and was stationed at

Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across th ...

. He was promoted to captain on May 15, 1917, over a month after the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry ...

, and transferred to the 7th Field Artillery Regiment in July, which soon departed the United States for service on the Western Front, where Waldron would remain for the rest of the war.https://digital-library.usma.edu/digital/collection/p16919coll3/id/17460

Decorations

Here is Major General Albert W. Waldron´s ribbon bar:

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldron, Albert 1892 births 1961 deaths Military personnel from Rochester, New York United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War I United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1915 United States Army generals of World War II United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel