Thomas Henry "Mike" Harvey Jr. (September 15, 1936 – November 8, 2013) was 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 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 ...

. He was awarded the

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 ...

for his actions in

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 ...

in 1967.

Early life and education

Born into an Army family at Fort Hancock in New Jersey, Harvey attended the

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

, where he played

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

and football. He was captain of the hockey team in his senior year and graduated in 1954. Harvey was then 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 ...

, where he again played ice hockey and lacrosse. In 1958, he was a starter on Army's national champion lacrosse team and graduated with a B.S. degree in military science. Harvey attended Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker in Alabama from 1960 to 1961. He later earned an M.S. degree in political science from

Kansas State University 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 career

Harvey served three combat tours in Vietnam. During his second tour, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on 16 April 1967 as a platoon leader with Troop B, 1st Squadron,

9th Cavalry The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It is not related to the 9th Kansas Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was ...

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

. Flying reconnaissance and air support for infantry ground operations near

Đức Phổ Đức Phổ () is a district-level town (''thị xã'') of Quảng Ngãi province in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a cou ...

, he supplied rocket and machine gun fire until his helicopter was damaged and low on fuel. Returning to base for a fresh helicopter, he rejoined the action until his second helicopter was damaged and one of his crew members was wounded. Returning to base to evacuate the wounded soldier, he again rejoined the action in a third helicopter. For his service in Vietnam, Harvey also received the

Silver Star Medal 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 en ...

, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, two

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 ...

s, the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

and 53

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 ...

s. As a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, Harvey served as commander of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. As a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, he served as commander of the 9th Cavalry Brigade (Air Attack) at Fort Lewis in Washington State. Harvey's promotion 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 ...

was approved on 4 October 1984. He served as assistant commander of the 2nd Infantry Division. Harvey's promotion to major general was approved on 1 July 1987. He retired from active duty in 1991. In addition to his combat awards, Harvey received the

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and three

Army Meritorious Service Medal __NOTOC__ The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, ...

Personal

Harvey was the son of Thomas Henry Harvey Sr. (17 August 1907 – 13 December 1980). His father was a 1932 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy who retired from active duty in 1962 as a colonel. Harvey's own son Thomas Henry "Todd" Harvey III also attended the Phillips Academy and served five years in the Army as a paratrooper and aviator. He then became a civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defense. After his retirement, Harvey Jr. settled in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

. After about five years, he relocated to

Enterprise, Alabama Enterprise is a city in the southeastern part of Coffee County and the southwestern part of Dale County in Southeastern Alabama, United States. Its population was 28,711 at the 2020 census. Enterprise is the primary city of the Enterprise micr ...

. After his death in Enterprise, he 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 ...

on 24 April 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Thomas Henry 1936 births 2013 deaths People from Monmouth County, New Jersey Phillips Academy alumni United States Military Academy alumni American Master Army Aviators United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Kansas State University alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Military personnel from El Paso, Texas People from Enterprise, Alabama Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from New Jersey