George LeRoy Irwin (April 26, 1868 – February 19, 1931) was a

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 ...

of the

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 ...

Fort Irwin National Training Center Fort Irwin National Training Center (Fort Irwin NTC) is a major training area for the United States military in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin is at an average elevation of . It is located northeast ...

is named in his honor.

Early life

Irwin was born on April 26, 1868 at

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. His parents were Army Brigadier General

Bernard J. D. Irwin Bernard John Dowling Irwin (June 24, 1830 – December 15, 1917) was an assistant army surgeon during the Apache Wars and the first (chronologically by action) Medal of Honor recipient. His actions on February 13, 1861, are the earl ...

, a surgeon in the Army Medical Corps who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

in the

Apache Wars The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexic ...

, and his wife Antoinette Elizabeth Stahl Irwin.

Career

Irwin graduated from 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 ...

in 1889. He served in 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 ...

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

Cuban Pacification The Provisional Government of Cuba lasted from September 1906 to February 1909. This period was also referred to as the Second Occupation of Cuba. When the government of Cuban President Tomás Estrada Palma collapsed, U.S. President Theodore R ...

and

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 ...

.Davis, Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 196. . OCLC 40298151 Irwin graduated from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

in 1910. During World War I, Irwin, then a

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 ...

, commanded the 57th Field Artillery Brigade of the 32nd Infantry Division under the command of Major General

William G. Haan Major general (United States), Major General William George Haan (October 4, 1863 – October 26, 1924) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer. He commanded the 32nd Infantry Division (United States), 32nd Division during ...

. Irwin distinguished himself during the

Second Battle of the Marne The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First World War. The attack failed wh ...

, Oise-Aisne Offensive and Meuse-Argonne Offensive and received 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 ...

. After the war, Irwin reverted to his permanent rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in 1919. He was promoted to brigadier general again in 1923 and then to major general in 1928.

Personal life and family

Irwin married Maria Elizabeth Barker on April 30, 1892. Irwin's son, Stafford LeRoy Irwin, retired as a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Death and legacy

Irwin died on February 19, 1931 in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. The general and his wife were buried at the

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the eastern United States, on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and early ...

next to his parents. In 1942, the Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range (today:

) was named in his honor.

Decorations

Citation

The citation for Irwin's Army Distinguished Service Medal reads: :General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 19 (1920) :Action Date: World War I :Name: George LeRoy Irwin :Service: Army :Rank: Brigadier General :Company: Commanding General :Regiment: 57th Field Artillery Brigade :Division: 32d Division, American Expeditionary Forces :Citation: ''The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Brigadier General George LeRoy Irwin, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. General Irwin Commanded with ability the 57th Field Artillery Brigade, 32d Division, during the Marne-Aisne, Oise-Aisne, and Meuse-Argonne offensives. At all times he displayed keen judgment, high military attainments, and loyal devotion to duty. The success of the Division whose advance he supported was due in a large measure to his eminent technical skill and ability as an artillerist.''

References

Official Homepage of the National Training Center Fort IrwinMilitarytimes.com - Official Army Distinguished Service Medal Citation
;Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, George LeRoy 1868 births 1931 deaths United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Detroit American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army War College alumni United States Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Honour United States Army generals Burials at West Point Cemetery