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 ...

Frank Butner Clay (February 26, 1921 – December 30, 2006) 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 ...

officer. He was the son of General Lucius D. Clay Sr. and the brother of General

Lucius D. Clay Jr. General Lucius DuBignon Clay Jr. (July 6, 1919 – February 7, 1994) was a United States military leader who held the positions of commander-in-chief of the North American Air Defense Command, the Continental Air Defense Command, the United Sta ...

He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

along with his first wife, Patricia Adams Casey Clay (November 1, 1923 – January 1, 1973). Patricia Clay was the sister of Major

Hugh Boyd Casey Major Hugh Boyd Casey (November 30, 1925 – January 11, 1952) is the namesake of the U.S. Army Camp Casey installation in South Korea, named and officially dedicated in 1952 in his memory. Casey was the son of General Hugh John Casey and was ki ...

, who was killed in an airplane crash while serving as an aide-de-camp to the 3d Infantry Division Commander during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. They were, in turn, the children of Major General

Hugh John Casey Hugh John "Pat" Casey CBE (24 July 1898 – 30 August 1981) was a major general in the United States Army. A 1918 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Casey served in Germany during the Occupation of the Rhineland. He later retu ...

of the Army Corps of Engineers, who was the

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 ...

roommate and good friend of General Lucius D. Clay Sr. Clay attended the

Valley Forge Military Academy Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC) is a private boarding school (grades 7–12) and military junior college in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. Though military in ...

and graduated from Millard Prep School. Appointed to 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 ...

from New York state, he graduated with a B.S. degree in May 1942. Clay later graduated the

Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1952 and the National War College in 1961. General Clay served in various positions from

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 opposing ...

through the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. In 1971, he was a military advisor to the US delegation to the

Paris peace talks The Paris Peace Accords, () officially titled the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam (''Hiệp định về chấm dứt chiến tranh, lập lại hòa bình ở Việt Nam''), was a peace treaty signed on January 27, 1 ...

. General Clay retired from the Army in 1973. He became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Drug and Alcohol Abuse on July 11, 1973. He died at the Knollwood Military Retirement Residence in Washington, D.C. and is buried along with his first wife at

.Arlington National Cemetery
/ref>

Awards and decorations

He was awarded 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 Silver Star with two

Oak Leaf Cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

s, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal with V and two Oak Leaf Clusters 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, ...

with Oak Leaf Cluster.

References

1921 births 2006 deaths People from Auburn, Alabama Valley Forge Military Academy and College alumni United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Alabama United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni National War College alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Nixon administration personnel Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Burials at Arlington National Cemetery {{US-army-World-War-II-bio-stub