United States Army 1st Armored Division CSIB

Thomas Francis Healy Jr. (September 18, 1931 – December 9, 2004) was a U.S. Army

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 ...

and former commandant of the Army War College.

Early life and education

Healy was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

on September 18, 1931. He graduated from

Holyoke High School Holyoke High School is a public high school in western Massachusetts, United States that serves the City of Holyoke. Since 2015, the school, along with the district, has been in state receivership and through a series of changes in practices, such ...

in Massachusetts in 1949 and then attended the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

for a year before being appointed to 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 ...

at West Point. He graduated with a B.S. degree and his officers commission in 1954. He also received a ''

Diplom A ''Diplom'' (, from grc, δίπλωμα ''diploma'') is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus ...

'' from the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

in Germany and an M.A. degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(1964). He also attended the

Command and General Staff College 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 ...

, the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College.

Military career

His duties of assignment within the Army included overseeing the Advanced Armor School, tours at West Point as professor of German and later as Executive Tactical Officer of the 3rd Cadet Regiment. Also, he accumulated two Vietnam tours, including one as an operations officer for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's High Command. In this assignment, he worked with translators and executive officers of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division. During his second tour, he commanded the 5th Battalion of the 7th Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division. While in Vietnam, Healy served with the now-famous Norman Schwarzkopf. Healy also served as a superior officer to then-subordinate Tommy Franks as well. Later, he became a member of the Military Assistance Command,

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

staff. He served on the

Department of the Army The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is org ...

staff in Washington, in the department of Personnel and Operations. He also served in staff positions with Allied Forces Central Europe and at the international

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Headquarters in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. His other command assignments included Commander, 3rd “Bull Dog” Brigade of the 1st Armored Division in Bamberg, Germany, serving as the Assistant Division Commander for Support (ADC-A), 1st Armored Division and Commander, Nürnberg Military Community, Germany. His next assignment was Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, United States Army, Europe (USAREUR) in Heidelberg, Germany. He was then assigned as the Commanding General and Commandant of the US Army War College in

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, ...

. Following this he became Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division, Ansbach, Germany. His distinguished career's final assignment was as the Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces: Southern Europe in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Italy. Thomas F. Healy retired at 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 ...

Awards and decorations

Awards and decorations awarded to General Healy included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal,

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 ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

(awarded to him three times), the

Bronze Star 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 ...

(awarded twice) and the

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 ...

, awarded nineteen times overall, the Army Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Honor Medal, and other various service medals. Other awards presented to him include the Parachutist Badge, and the

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of ei ...

Death

On December 9, 2004, Healy died after complications from cancer in

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

. He 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 ...

.Burial Detail: Healy, Thomas Francis
– ANC Explorer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Healy, Thomas F. 1931 births 2004 deaths Military personnel from Cambridge, Massachusetts University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni United States Military Academy alumni Heidelberg University alumni United States Military Academy faculty Columbia University alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Joint Forces Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Deaths from cancer in Virginia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery