Stanley Dunbar Embick (January 22, 1877 – October 23, 1957) was 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 ...
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 ...
.
Military career
Embick was born in
Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania on January 22, 1877. He attended
Dickinson College
, mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts college
, endowment = $645.5 million (2022)
, president = J ...
before enrolling at 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
West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...
, from which he graduated in 1899. 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 ...
of
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 ...
, he served in the occupation of Cuba following 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 ...
. After his service in Cuba, he served in a variety of assignments, including the staff of the Coast Artillery School at
Fort Monroe, Virginia and Assistant to the Chief of Artillery in Washington, D.C.
During
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 ...
Embick served on the staff of the Supreme War Council, and then the Commission to Negotiate Peace, for which he received 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 ...
.
In December 1919 Embick was assigned to the staff of the War Department's War Plans Division, where he served until attending the
Army War College. After serving as a War College instructor, Embick served in the Philippines, afterwards returning to Washington to serve as Executive Officer of the War Plans Division. In 1930 he became commandant of the Coast Artillery School.
![Corps area commanding generals](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Corps_area_commanding_generals.jpg)
In 1932 Embick was appointed commander of harbor defenses in the Philippines as 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 ...
, where he was responsible for constructing Corregidor's Malinta Tunnel, which was used as a bomb-proof storage and personnel bunker and hospital during
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 ...
, and is now the venue for a historical audio-visual presentation about the war.
Embick became Director of the War Plans Division as 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 ...
in 1936, and later that year was named the Army's
Deputy Chief of Staff. He was appointed IV Corps commander in 1938, and later the same year took command of the Third Army as a lieutenant general, where he served until his 1941 retirement.
Embick was recalled for World War II, serving as Chief of the
Joint Strategic Survey Committee
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 ...
, Chairman of the
Inter-American Defense Board
The Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) is an international committee of nationally appointed defense officials who develop collaborative approaches on common defense and security issues facing countries in North, Central, and South America. The ...
, and a delegate to the
Dumbarton Oaks Conference
The Dumbarton Oaks Conference, or, more formally, the Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization, was an international conference at which proposals for the establishment of a "general international organization", w ...
that created the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. He retired again in 1946, receiving a second Distinguished Service Medal.
Later life
In the late 1940s Embick served on the commission that proposed reforms to America's military and intelligence agencies, including creation of the Department of Defense by merging the War and Navy Departments.
Embick died at Washington, D.C.'s
Walter Reed Army Hospital
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and reti ...
on October 23, 1957, 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 ...
. He was the father in law of General
Albert Coady Wedemeyer
General (United States), General Albert Coady Wedemeyer (July 9, 1896 – December 17, 1989) was a United States Army commander who served in South-East Asian Theater of World War II, Asia during World War II from October 1943 to the end of the wa ...
.
Awards
*
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 ...
with oak leaf cluster
*
Army of Cuban Occupation Medal
The Army of Cuban Occupation Medal was a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award created by the United States War Department in June 1915. The medal recognizes those service members who performed garrison occupation dut ...
*
World War I Victory Medal
*
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941.
The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served ...
*
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...
*
World War II Victory Medal
Citation of first Distinguished Service Medal:
Dates of rank
References
:
Bibliography
* ''Biographical Annals of Cumberland County'', Pennsylvania, Chicago: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905, pages 141–143
* ''General Stanley D. Embick: Military Dissenter'', Society for Military History, by Ronald Schaffer, 1973
* ''Men of West Point: The First 150 Years of the United States Military Academy'', by Richard Ernest Dupuy, 1951
* ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York Since its Establishment in 1802'', by George Washington Cullum, 1920, Supplemental Volume VI-A, page 873
* ''Corregidor in Peace and War'', by Charles M. Hubbard and Collis H. Davis, 2007
* ''Dominion or Decline: Anglo-American Naval Relations on the Pacific, 1937–1941'', by Ian Cowman, 1996
* ''Dumbarton Oaks: The Origins of the United Nations and the Search for Postwar Security'', by Robert C. Hilderbrand, 1990
* ''The National Cyclopaedia of American biography'', by James Terry White, 1967, Volume 43, page 102
External links
* ''Military Times'', Awards and Citations, http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=17508
* ''United States Army in World War II'', by Mark Skinner Watson, Published by US War Department, 1950, Chapter 3, http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/csppp/ch03.htm
* HistoryNet.com. "Louisiana Maneuvers, (1940–41)," by Mark Perry, http://www.historynet.com/louisiana-maneuvers-1940-41.htm
* "China, The New Army," ''Time'', Monday, June 4, 1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Embick, Stanley Dunbar
1877 births
1957 deaths
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army generals of World War II
United States Army generals
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Army War College alumni
People from Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Military personnel from Pennsylvania