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 ...
Joseph May Swing (February 28, 1894 – December 9, 1984) was a senior
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 ...
officer, who fought in
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 ...
and commanded the
11th Airborne Division
The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army airborne formation, first activated on 25 February 1943, during World War II. Consisting of one parachute and two glider infantry regiments, with supporting troops, the div ...
during the
campaign to liberate the Philippines in
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 opposin ...
.
Early life and military career
![Joseph May Swing (1894–1984) at West Point in 1915](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Joseph_May_Swing_%281894%E2%80%931984%29_at_West_Point_in_1915.png)
Joseph May Swing was born in
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.[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 ...]
at West Point and was commissioned 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 ...
upon graduation in 1915 (as part of "
the class the stars fell on"). In 1916, he served in
John J. Pershing
General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...
Punitive Expedition against
Pancho Villa in Mexico.
During World War I, he served in France with the
1st Infantry Division. After returning to the United States, he served as an aide to General
Peyton March
General Peyton Conway March (December 27, 1864April 13, 1955) was a senior officer of the United States Army. He served in the Philippines, on the Mexican border, and World War I. March was the ninth Chief of Staff from 1918 to 1921, accomplis ...
, who soon became
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a ...
. He married General March's daughter, Josephine, on July 8, 1918.
Between the wars
After the war, Swing continued his career in the
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
, graduating with honors from the
United States Army Field Artillery School
The United States Army Field Artillery School (USAFAS) trains Field Artillery Soldiers and Marines in tactics, techniques, and procedures for the employment of fire support systems in support of the maneuver commander. The school further develop ...
at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1927 he graduated from the
Command and General Staff School
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 ...
at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and in 1935 he 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 Washington D.C. On June 24, 1936 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
From 1938 to 1940 he served as
chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
for the
2nd Infantry Division, then as commander of artillery for the
1st Cavalry Division. On June 26, 1941 he was promoted to colonel in the
Army of the United States
The Army of the United States is one of the four major service components of the United States Army (the others being the Regular Army, the United States Army Reserve and the Army National Guard of the United States), but it has been inactive si ...
(AUS).
World War II
Swing was promoted to
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 ...
(AUS) on February 16, 1942
and organized the division artillery of the
82nd Infantry Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
, shortly before their conversion to an
airborne division.
![MacArthur arrives at Atsugi;ac01732](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/MacArthur_arrives_at_Atsugi%3Bac01732.jpg)
After being promoted to the temporary rank of
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 ...
, on February 15, 1943
Swing activated the newly formed
11th Airborne Division
The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army airborne formation, first activated on 25 February 1943, during World War II. Consisting of one parachute and two glider infantry regiments, with supporting troops, the div ...
at
Camp Mackall
Camp Mackall is an active U.S. Army training facility located in eastern Richmond County and northern Scotland County, North Carolina, south of the town of Southern Pines. The facility is in close proximity to and is a sub-installation of Fort ...
, North Carolina. He was then sent to the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...
(MTO) to assist with planning the airborne operations conducted during
Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. His permanent rank was upgraded from lieutenant colonel to colonel on August 1, 1943.
After returning to the United States, he continued to oversee the training of the 11th Airborne Division, leading them to a successful victory in the Knollwood training maneuver on December 7, 1943. The performance of Swing and the 11th Airborne is credited with saving the concept of the airborne division.
Swing and the officers and men of the 11th Airborne Division shipped out for the
Southwest Pacific in May 1944. He would lead the division for the duration of the war, from the
invasion of the Philippines to the
occupation of Japan
Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the
Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...
. Swing and the 11th Airborne greeted General
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
upon his arrival in Japan at
Atsugi Airdrome on August 30, 1945.
Postwar
![NasugbuBatangasjf0339 33](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/NasugbuBatangasjf0339_33.JPG)
Swing commanded the 11th Airborne Division, during which time his permanent rank became brigadier general on June 16, 1947,
until 1948 when he was assigned command of
I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to:
France
* 1st Army Corps (France)
* I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...
in Kyoto, Japan. On January 24, 1948 his rank was made major general.
This was followed by a stint as commandant of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, then as commandant of the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. His final posting was as commander of the
Sixth Army in San Francisco in 1951. Swing retired from active duty on February 28, 1954, retiring with the rank of
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 ...
.
![Frank Pace at Sixth Army Headquarters 63-1387-14 original](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Frank_Pace_at_Sixth_Army_Headquarters_63-1387-14_original.jpg)
After leaving the army, his friend and former West Point classmate President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
nominated him as the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. Following confirmation, Swing served as the head of the
INS INS or Ins or ''variant'', may refer to:
Places
* Ins, Switzerland, a municipality
* Creech Air Force Base (IATA airport code INS)
* Indonesia, ITF and UNDP code INS
Biology
*'' Ins'', a New World genus of bee flies
* INS, the gene for the insul ...
from 1954 to 1962. Among the programs he implemented was the controversial
Operation Wetback (1954), designed to slow the number of illegal border crossings from Mexico.
Swing died in San Francisco at the age of 90 on December 9, 1984, and 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 ...
, in
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
with his wife Josephine Mary Swing (1895–1972).
Decorations
*
Parachutist Badge
*
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
with two oak leaf clusters
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
with two oak leaf clusters
*
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
with oak leaf cluster
References
External links
Biography from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website
*
''Washington Post'' obituary, dated 12 December 1984
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Swing, Joseph May
1894 births
1984 deaths
United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel
United States Army generals
United States Military Academy alumni
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Recipients of the Silver Star
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
People from Jersey City, New Jersey
Recipients of the Air Medal
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1915
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army generals of World War II
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
United States Army War College alumni
Military personnel from New Jersey