Leo Henry Schweiter (1917-1972) was a

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 ...

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 ...

who served as commander of the

173rd Airborne Brigade The 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") is an airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Eu ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, 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 Vie ...

Early life and education

He attended

Kansas State College Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

Military service

World War II

He enlisted in the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

in 1941. He then transferred to the

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 ...

and while serving as a Captain and assistant G-2 (Intelligence Officer) took part in the Normandy airborne landings on 6 June 1944. He was knocked unconscious by a German grenade blast and captured, but was released the following day when the Germans withdrew. He later took part in

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...

and the

Siege of Bastogne The siege of Bastogne () was an engagement in December 1944 between American and German forces at the Belgian town of Bastogne, as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. The goal of the German offensive was the harbor at Antwerp. In order to r ...

. In late January 1945, as the Germans launched a counterattack at

Haguenau Haguenau (; Alsatian: or ; and historically in English: ''Hagenaw'') is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department of France, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg, some to the south. To the ...

Major Schweiter stated "What the hell are you so worried about? The 101st alone can lick five German divisions simultaneously. We just did."

Korean War

He served in the 7th Infantry Division and took part in the

Battle of Inchon The Battle of Incheon (), also spelled Battle of Inchon, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved so ...

and the later landings at

Wonsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

. He was given command the 32nd Infantry Regiment.

Post Korean War

In 1959 he was named chief of staff of the 8th Infantry Division. He later was assistant chief of staff, G2, headquarters,

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 ...

. Col. Schweiter served as the first commanding officer of the

5th Special Forces Group The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (5th SFG (A)) is one of the most decorated active duty United States Army Special Forces groups in the U.S. armed forces. The 5th SFG (A) saw extensive action in the Vietnam War and played a pivotal role i ...

from September 1961 to July 1962. From 1962 to 1964 he served in the office of special assistant for counterinsurgency and special activities for the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

. He served as assistant division commander of the 101st Airborne Division at

Fort Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee, Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). F ...

Vietnam War

On 23 August 1967 BG Schweiter took command of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. BG Schweiter led the Brigade in the costly

Battle of Dak To The battle of Dak To ( vi, Chiến dịch Đắk Tô - Tân Cảnh) in Vietnam was a series of major engagements of the Vietnam War that took place between 3 and 23 November 1967, in Kon Tum Province, in the Central Highlands of the Republic o ...

in November 1967, following which it was withdrawn to lower intensity areas, while its constituent units were rebuilt. The Brigade returned to participate in Operation Bolling in December 1967. Schweiter handed over command of the Brigade to BG Richard J. Allen on 20 March 1968. He served as chief of staff

United States Army Vietnam United States Army Republic of Vietnam (USARV) was a corps-level support command of the United States Army in the Vietnam War. Establishment Although the U.S. Army Support Group was the Army component command within Military Assistance Comman ...

until May 1972.

Later life

He retired from the Army due to ill health in May 1972 and died at Dunham Army Hospital,

Carlisle Barracks Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The site of the U.S. Army War College, it is the nation's second-oldest active military base. The first structures were built in 1757, during the French and In ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

on 23 August 1972.

Personal life

He and his wife Virginia had 3 daughters and a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schweiter, Leo H. 1917 births 1972 deaths United States Army generals Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War