George Windle Read Jr. (July 29, 1900 – December 15, 1974) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. He was prominent as a top-tier

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

player, a successful commander of World War II armor units, and the U.S. Army's Chief of Armor.

Early life

Read was born at Fort Grant, Arizona, on July 29, 1900,The Monthly Supplement: a Current Biographical Reference Service, published by Who’s Who, Inc., 1944, Volumes 5-6, page 247 the son of Burton Young Read and Major General George Windle Read (1860–1934), one of the top commanders in the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

during World War I. His grandfather was Lieutenant General S.B.M. Young, who served as the first Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Read was educated on military posts throughout the United States, and graduated from Central High School in Washington, D.C. Read was decided upon a military career from an early age; at 13, he took part in a summer

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

encampment that included military training. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Washington's high schools maintained a corps of cadets, with students organized into companies and regiments for drill and ceremony competitions. During his high school years, Read was an active participant as a member of the corps' Company H. 1st Regiment.

World War I

Read enlisted in the Army on May 15, 1917, shortly before his seventeenth birthday. He served with the

15th Cavalry Regiment The 15th Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It was one of the Expansion Units originally established for the Spanish–American War, but has been a general workhorse unit ever since. History Origins The 15th Cav ...

and the 30th and 42nd Infantry Divisions during World War I, attaining the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Post World War I

Read completed the officer candidate school in Langres, France, and was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of Infantry in 1919. He soon transferred to

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

, and graduated from the Cavalry School Basic Course in 1921. He served throughout the United States and overseas during the 1920s and 1930s. From 1922 to 1925 Read served in the Philippines as aide de camp to his father.Life of the Soldier and the Airman, Volumes 35-36, 1953, page 289 A championship caliber

player, Read took part in several tournaments during the 1920s and 1930s, playing on teams sponsored by the Army. Read graduated from the Cavalry School Regular Course in 1937, afterwards serving in the Middle East as an observer in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and a member of the Armored Force Board that was based in

Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

World War II

After graduating from the Command and General Staff College in 1941, Read was assigned as Training and Operations Officer, G-3, for the 6th Armored Division. Read served with the 6th Armored Division in Europe throughout World War II, including assignments as commander of the 68th Tank Regiment, commander of the division's Combat Command B, assistant division commander, and division commander from April to May, 1945 and again from July until the division was deactivated in September, 1945.

Post World War II

In the late 1940s Read served as President of Army Ground Forces Board 3 at Ft. Benning, Georgia. (The Army created several ground forces boards to test new weapons and equipment and make procurement recommendations.) From 1948 to 1950 Read served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, G-4, for the United States Constabulary. During the early 1950s General Read commanded 1st Brigade, United States Constabulary in West Germany. From April 1952 to April 1953 Read served as commander of the 2nd Armored Division. In 1953 Read was assigned as commander of the

U.S. Army Armor Center and School The United States Army Armor School (formerly Armored Force School) is a training school located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Its primary focus is the training of United States Army soldiers, non-commissioned officers, warrant officers, and comm ...

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...

, Kentucky, where he remained until 1955. He then commanded Allied Land Forces South East Europe, remaining in this post until 1957. In 1957 Read assumed command of the Second United States Army, remaining in this position until his retirement in 1960.

Awards and decorations

General Read's U.S. decorations included multiple awards of 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 The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, and multiple awards of the

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 ...

and

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. His foreign awards included the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

with Palm, Belgian

, Luxembourg War Cross, Greek Grand Cross of the

Royal Order of the Phoenix The Order of the Phoenix ( el, Τάγμα του Φοίνικος) is an order of Greece, established on 13 May 1926, by the republican government of the Second Hellenic Republic to replace the defunct Royal Order of George I. The order was reta ...

, and Order of Merit (Chile).

Retirement and death

General Read resided in

Aptos Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and S ...

, Santa Cruz County, California after his retirement from the Army, and died at Fort Ord's

Silas B. Hays Silas Beach Hays (February 18, 1902 – July 24, 1964) was a major general who served as Surgeon General of the United States Army. Early life Silas Beach Hays was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on February 18, 1902, and was raised in Washington ...

Army Hospital on December 15, 1974, from the effects of lymphocytic leukemia. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Site 3946.

Family

In 1933, Read married Ernestine Eaton Renzel (1903–1988). They had no children.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Read, George Windle Jr. 1900 births United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) People from Aptos, California 1974 deaths People from Graham County, Arizona Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War II Military personnel from Arizona