John Lathrop Throckmorton (February 28, 1913 – February 13, 1986) was a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

in 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 ...

Early life

Throckmorton was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, on February 28, 1913. After graduating from

Culver Military Academy Culver Academies is a college preparatory boarding school located in Culver, Indiana, which is composed of three entities: Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys, Culver Girls Academy (CGA), and the Culver Summer Schools and Camps (CSSC). Culver ...

in 1931 he attended and 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 ...

on June 12, 1935, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry.

Military career

In World War II, Throckmorton was assigned to the G3 Section, First Army in the

European Theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

from 1943 to 1946. After the war, he served in the TAC Department at West Point from 1946 to 1949. He took command of a battalion in the 5th Regimental Combat Team in Hawaii from 1949 to 1950 and later became the regimental combat team commander from 1950 to 1951 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 ...

. After the war, he attended the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

in 1954, and later became Commandant of Cadets at the

at West Point from 1956 to 1959. Throckmorton served from 1959 to 1960 as Assistant Commanding General,

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

, followed by an assignment as Secretary General Staff, Office of the Chief of Staff Army from 1960 to 1962. He took command of the

82nd Airborne 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 ...

from 1962 to 1964, then deployed to Vietnam as Deputy Commander,

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense. MACV was created on 8 February 1962, in response to the increase in United States military assistance to South Vietnam. MACV ...

, from 1964 to 1965. His service in Vietnam was followed by an assignment as Deputy Commander, Office of the Chief Army Reserve from 1965 to 1966. Throckmorton also served a tour of duty in 1967, commanding Task Force Detroit during the

Detroit riots Riots in Detroit, Michigan, have occurred since the city was founded in 1701. This area was settled by various ethnicities following thousands of years of indigenous history. During the colonial period, it was nominally ruled by France and Great Br ...

. Throckmorton held successive commands as Commanding General,

XVIII Airborne Corps The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...

(1967); Commanding General,

Third United States Army Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

, (1967–1969); and Commander in Chief,

United States Strike Command In 1961 the United States Strike Command (STRICOM) was established at MacDill Air Force Base as a unified combatant command capable of responding to global crises. The name of the command was originally derived from the acronym for Swift Tactical ...

, (1969–1973). Throckmorton retired in

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...

, in 1973. He died on February 13, 1986, and was 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 ...

next to his wife, Regina Theresa Higgins, whom he married on October 16, 1937. The library at Fort Bragg is named in his honor.Fort Bragg MWR – John L. Throckmorton Library

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Throckmorton, John L. 1913 births 1986 deaths United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Commandants of the Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War 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 Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the National Order of Vietnam Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) People from Kansas City, Missouri Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Culver Academies alumni