Major General David P. Gibbs (March 11, 1911 – August 30, 1987) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

General 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 ...

. He graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

as a second lieutenant in 1933. A career soldier in the Signal Corps, he became Chief of Communications-Electronics in the Department of the Army Staff, a position formerly called "Chief Signal Officer". He earned the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

, the Legion of Merit, the Croix de Guerre (War Cross) and the Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters.

Career

A 1933 graduate of 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 ...

, Gibbs began his career by serving at

Fort Bliss, Texas Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, Ft. Bliss h ...

with the 1st Cavalry F Division's 1st Signal Troop and with the

Hawaiian Division The Hawaiian Division was a division of the United States Army, dedicated to the defense of Hawaii. This division was named rather than numbered, as were the Philippine, Panama Canal and Americal Divisions. It was first activated under the peace ...

's 11th Signal Company. During the Second World War, he served in various postings in Europe. He returned to the United States to command 1st Signal Service Group at Camp Polk, Louisiana and then was promoted to command the 51st Signal Operations Battalion at Fort Meade, Maryland, and then served as a staff officer in Washington. Gibbs graduated from the

Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operation ...

in 1948 and the National War College in 1953. He followed these stateside postings with postings to Korea and Japan from 1953 to 1955. In 1955, he was Chief Signal Officer at Headquarters,

Continental Army Command Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (a ...

(now the

Training and Doctrine Command The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine. ...

- TRADOC) as a brigadier general and then commanding officer of the Signal Training Center at Fort Gordon, and Chief of Staff for Communications and Electronics, Headquarters, North American Defense Command Center. He was promoted to major general and advanced from first assistant to Chief Signal Officer in 1963, a position held by his father

George Sabin Gibbs George Sabin Gibbs (December 14, 1875 – January 8, 1947) was a United States Army officer. After serving as a brigadier general during World War I, he was promoted to major general and served as Chief Signal Officer for the Signal Corps. Early ...

from 1928 to 1931. Gibbs retired from active duty in 1966. Major General Gibbs died in August 1987. He was interred at Fort Huachuca Cemetery in

Sierra Vista Sierra Vista is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the population of the city is 45,308, and is the 27th most populous city in Arizona. The city is part of the Sierra Vista-Douglas Metropolitan Are ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbs, David Parker 1911 births 1987 deaths United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Air War College alumni National War College alumni United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army generals Chief Signal Officer, U.S. Army Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) People from Sierra Vista, Arizona