Alfred William Bjornstad (October 13, 1874 – November 4, 1934) was an American army officer and

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

who served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early life

Bjornstad was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. He attended Luther College in 1891 and 1892, then attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

.Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. P. 38 He joined the Minnesota National Guard as a private in 1894, and worked his way up the enlisted ranks in the years before the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

Career

Bjornstad received his commission as first lieutenant in the 13th Minnesota Infantry on May 7, 1898. On August 17, 1899, he was a captain of the 42d United States Volunteer Infantry and a first lieutenant, 29th Infantry, by February 1901. He was engaged in thirty-four actions and battles in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

between 1898 and 1904. In 1909, he was an honor graduate of the Army School of the Line, and in 1910 he graduated from the Army Staff College. Bjornstad performed General Staff duty from 1911 and 1912, and from 1912 to 1913 he was the United States

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in Berlin. He then was an instructor at the Army Staff College in 1915 and 1916. In late 1916, he was the professor of military science and tactics at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. After this he returned to the General Staff. He became a brigadier general on July 12, 1918, with a date of rank from January 26, 1918. Bjornstad then became the chief of staff, Third Corps, followed by duty as commanding general, 13th Infantry Brigade in 1918 and 1919. He participated in all the major engagements in France. During 1919 he was on duty at the General Staff college, and from 1920 to 1923, he commanded Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Bjornstad belonged to the Masons, and retired in 1928.

Awards

Bjornstad was decorated with: 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 ...

, 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 ...

, and the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

from the United States. He also was awarded the

Order of Saints Michael and George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honou ...

from Britain, and the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''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 awa ...

and

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

from France.''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 50

Death and legacy

Alfred William Bjornstad died at the age of sixty on November 4, 1934.

References

Bibliography

*Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. *Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bjornstad, Alfred William 1874 births 1934 deaths United States Army generals American Freemasons People from Saint Paul, Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni National Guard (United States) generals United States Army War College alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Burials at San Francisco National Cemetery American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Military personnel from Minnesota United States military attachés