Thomas Howard Tackaberry (September 6, 1923 – April 3, 2017) 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 ...

. He was a veteran of

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 ...

, 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 ...

and 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 ...

and was a recipient of three Distinguished Service Crosses and served as commander of the

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 ...

from 1979 to 1981."Described as a 'grunt's angel', Lt. Gen. Tackaberry was devoted to his men, not only ensuring they were always supplied for the fight but physically prepared as well. Leading from the front, Lt. Gen. Tackaberry set a high bar for fitness with his men and led them on long training runs", stated Richard Hudson to the 115th congressional session on May 19, 2017. Tackaberry is one of the highly decorated officers in the U.S. Army. He ranks among the 10 most decorated military servicemembers in the U.S. military history.

Years of service

* U.S. Army Reserve 1942–1943 * U.S. Army 1943–1981 * World War II 1942–1945 * Cold War 1945–1981 * Korean War 1952–1953 * Vietnam War 1966–1967, 1969–1970

Korean War

In 1952, while serving as a company commander, he earned 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 heroism near Chorwon, Korea when he voluntarily went to relieve a patrol which had lost its commander. Tackaberry directed the soldiers back toward their own lines and personally covered their retreat at the risk of his own life. He also received two

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 ...

s for his service in Korea.

Vietnam War

In 1966 Tackaberry was serving 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 ...

as a lieutenant colonel and earned another

for heroism near

Bồng Sơn Bồng Sơn is a ward () of Hoài Nhơn town in northern Bình Định Province.''Vietnam Road Atlas'' (Tập Bản đồ Giao thông Đường bộ Việt Nam). Cartographic Publishing House (Vietnam), 2004 Geography and infrastructure Bong So ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, when he led a search and destroy operation in which a 15-man platoon was pinned down and its leader killed. He then ordered his unarmed command

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

to land near the firefight and ran through intense enemy fire to reach the platoon and assume command. When reinforcements arrived, he led an assault on enemy bunkers, forcing the larger

North Vietnamese North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

force to retreat. COL T

In 1969, he had been promoted to

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 ...

and was the brigade commander of the

196th Infantry Brigade The 196th Infantry Brigade ("Chargers"), also known as the Charger Brigade was first formed on 24 June 1921 as part of the United States Army Reserve's 98th Infantry Division (United States), 98th Division with the responsibility of training soldi ...

when he earned a third Distinguished Service Cross, making him one of the few individuals who had earned three or more Distinguished Service Crosses. Tackaberry also received three more

s for his service in Vietnam. He then served as chief of staff of the 23rd Infantry Division.

Later life

Tackaberry and his wife Lilian had six children. Their twin sons, Burt and Kief Tackaberry served as officers in the Army. His eldest grandson, Lt Col. Andrew S. Tackaberry took command of 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment from June 2015 to 2017. Another grandson, Lt Col. Jonathan P. Tackaberry took command of 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment in May 2017.[ Lt. Gen. Tackaberry retired from military service after 38 years. He then transitioned to managing a real estate business and counseling in the military of the Republic of China for BDC Corp. Tackaberry remained very dedicated to fitness all his life to include at the age of 93 years old and confined to a wheel chair. After being challenged by a family member he completed 10 push-ups on his feet. Thomas Tackaberry died on April 3, 2017. He was predeceased by his son Richard and daughter Elizabeth. He is buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on August 23, 2017.

Years of service

Korean War

Vietnam War

Later life

Awards and decorations

References

External links

Further reading