Charles Hartwell Bonesteel III (September 26, 1909 – October 13, 1977) was an American military commander, the son of Major General

Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Jr. Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Jr. (April 9, 1885 – June 5, 1964) was a major general in the United States Army. He commanded the United States Army Infantry School and the G-1 (personnel) staff section of Supreme Headquarters Allied Exped ...

and grandson of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Charles H. Bonesteel Sr. (1851–1902). He served in the United States Army during World War II and the Korean War. In the 1960s, he served as commander, United States Forces Korea during the Korean DMZ Conflict (1966–69).

Early life and education

Bonesteel (pronounced Bon-uh-stel) was born on September 26, 1909 in

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...

. As a teenager, he was an Eagle Scout and was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award by the Boy Scouts of America.

Career

A 1931 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Bonesteel received from his classmates the lifelong nickname of "Tick." After graduation, he was a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

at the University of Oxford. After carrying out a series of command and staff assignments, he served in the United States and Europe during World War II in a number of senior positions. With the surrender of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

imminent, Bonesteel, General George A. Lincoln, and Colonel Dean Rusk of the Strategy Policy Committee at the Pentagon were tasked with drawing up General Order No. 1 to define the areas of responsibility for American, Soviet and Chinese forces. On August 10, 1945 with Soviet forces already moving through Manchuria into northern Korea, Bonesteel proposed the 38th parallel as the Division of Korea. The draft General Order was cabled to the Soviets on 15 August and accepted by them the following day. In the postwar era, Bonesteel served as special assistant to the Secretary of State. In November 1958, in an official capacity, he visited the city of

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, Republic of Vietnam (

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

). He also served as commanding general of the 24th Infantry Division (1961–1962), and commanding general of the VII Corps (1962–1963). Bonesteel served as the Commander of

U.S. Forces Korea United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a sub-unified command of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK is the joint headquarters for U.S. combat-ready fighting forces and components under the ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) – a s ...

(and Commander-in-Chief, U.N. Command Korea; Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army) from 1966 to 1969. During this period he defended against North Korean infiltration during the

Korean DMZ Conflict (1966-1969) The Korean DMZ Conflict, also referred to as the Second Korean War by some, was a series of low-level armed clashes between North Korean forces and the forces of South Korea and the United States, largely occurring between 1966 and 1969 at t ...

and dealt with tensions arising from the January 1968 Pueblo Incident.

Later life, death and funeral

Bonesteel retired from the U.S. Army in 1969, died on October 13, 1977 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery near his father and grandfather.

Awards and decorations

* Distinguished Service Medal, twice (General Staff War Department, 1944–45; retirement, 1969) *

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

, twice (Sicily, 1943; European Theater, 1943–44) * Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom) *

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 ...

(France) * Distinguished Eagle Scout Award

References

External links

Arlington National Cemetery: Charles Hartwell Bonesteel III
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonesteel, Charles 1909 births 1977 deaths American Rhodes Scholars United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from New York City Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Honorary Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals Commanders, United States Forces Korea