Daniel Noce (1894−1976) was a

U.S. 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, cl ...

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 ...

who served in both world wars. Over his decorated military career he rose to the position of Inspector General of the Army. Following his retirement from the armed forces, he served as an executive at Michigan’s Donnelly-Kelley Glass Company. Noce died in

Sperryville, Virginia Sperryville is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the western section of Rappahannock County, Virginia, United States, near Shenandoah National Park. It consists of a village with two main streets along the two branches of the Thornton Riv ...

on February 17, 1976.

Early life

He was born on November 3, 1894 in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. His father was Angelo Noce, who founded the first Italian newspaper in Colorado (La Stella) and led the push for the Columbus Day holiday. Daniel learned woodworking and carpentry in high school and made furniture as a hobby throughout his life. He received an appointment to West Point and took up boxing, breaking his nose twice. He graduated from 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 in April 1917, and dropped his first name of Angelo shortly thereafter. He was appointed a Second Lieutenant. Upon graduation he was in the Cavalry, later transferring into the Army Corps of Engineers. From June to December, 1917 he served with the 4th Engineer Regiment at

Vancouver Barracks Established in 1849, the Vancouver Barracks was the first U.S. Army base located in the Pacific Northwest. Built on a rise 20 feet (6 m) above the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading station Fort Vancouver. Its buildings were formed in a line adjac ...

, Washington, Camp Greene, North Carolina and

Camp Humphreys Camp Humphreys ( ko, 캠프 험프리스), also known as United States Army Garrison-Humphreys (USAG-H), is a United States Army garrison located near Anjeong-ri and Pyeongtaek metropolitan areas in South Korea. Camp Humphreys is home to ...

, Virginia. He married Mildred Newcomb Wilson, the granddaughter of Astronomer

Simon Newcomb Simon Newcomb (March 12, 1835 – July 11, 1909) was a Canadian–American astronomer, applied mathematician, and autodidactic polymath. He served as Professor of Mathematics in the United States Navy and at Johns Hopkins University. Born in N ...

, in 1918 in Washington DC.

Military career

World War I

Noce served in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

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 ...

. In March, 1918 he was appointed Adjutant of the 602nd Engineer Regiment, and he advanced to regimental commander in August. He commanded the regiment during the

Saint-Mihiel Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Geography Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse. History A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde and his wif ...

and Meuse-Argonne Offensives, and remained in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

on occupation duty until 1919.

Post-World War I

In 1920 Noce sued in the U.S. Court of Claims for longevity pay he claimed was due to him. His claim was based on the argument that his time in service should count from when he entered West Point, and not when he received his commission. He prevailed in the lower court in a decision that could have affected the pay of thousands of Army officers, but the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

reversed the decision. In 1921 Noce received a bachelor's degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. In the 1920s and early 1930s he served in a variety of Engineer assignments, including postings to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Fort Gordon, Georgia and the Office of the Chief of Engineers. He also graduated from 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 ...

and the Army War College. In the 1930s he and his young family were stationed in the Philippines. From 1937 to 1939 he was District Engineer in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, supervising

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

levee and

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

maintenance and flood control. From 1940 to 1941 he was District Engineer in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, California, overseeing harbor expansion and defense in anticipation of World War II.

World War II

Noce served throughout

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 opposing ...

. In 1942 he was named to command the Engineer Amphibian Command at

Camp Edwards Camp Edwards is a United States military training installation which is located in western Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Originally the Massachusetts Military Reservation (which was another name for it until 2013) acquired in Se ...

, Massachusetts 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 ...

. In this assignment he developed organizations, equipment, and techniques used in the D-Day invasion and the Allied offensive in the Pacific Islands. From 1943 to 1944 he was Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. forces in the European Theater of Operations, receiving promotion to

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 ...

as planner and overseer of the engineer effort that supported military operations in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. From 1944 to 1945 he performed a similar function in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. From 1945 to 1946 Noce was Director of Plans and Operations at Headquarters, Army Service Forces in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Post World War II

In 1946 Noce he was appointed Director of the War Department’s Civil Affairs Division, serving until 1948 and receiving promotion to

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 this assignment he led a mission to expand cultural and economic relations between the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and China, and the Philippines and Japan following World War II. From 1949 to 1952 he was Chief of Staff for the U.S. European Command in Germany, and played an important part in implementing rebuilding efforts undertaken as part of the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...

. In 1952 he was appointed Inspector General of the Army, where he served until his 1954 retirement. General Noce’s decorations included five awards of 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 ...

and the Legion of Merit.

Civilian career

After retiring from the Army he was an executive with Michigan’s Donnelly-Kelley Glass Company.

Retirement and death

Upon his retirement in 1955, Lt. General Daniel Noce purchased a 1200-acre farm near Sperryville, Virginia and produced award-winning yields of corn and prized Black Angus beef. He served on the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...

Basin Advisory Committee, which advised state and local governments about water use and long term planning, including construction of the proposed Salem Church Dam. Noce died in

on February 17, 1976.

Personal

General Noce was the father of Mildred Wilson Noce (1922–1968) and Colonel Robert Wilson Noce (1926–2005), a 1949 West Point graduate who commanded a squadron of armored cavalry (1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment) of the 4th Infantry Division during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by 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 Vietnam a ...

References

Sources

* Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, George W. Cullum, 1920, Volume VI-B, page 1864 * Open Jurist web site, 268 US 13, U.S. Vs. Noce, http://openjurist.org/268/us/613/united-states-v-noce * U.S. Army Register, U.S. Army Adjutant General's Office, 1922, page 304 * Newspaper article, South Harassed by Flood Waters, Kingsport (Tennessee) Times, February 20, 1938 * Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory, Adrian R. Lewis, 2003, page 70 * Official Register of the United States, U.S. Civil Service Commission, 1940, Page 39 * Newspaper article, General Awarded Military Medal, Associated Press, printed in the Salt Lake Tribune, January 28, 1943 * Newspaper article, Invasion of Europe Moves Step Nearer, Kingston (Jamaica) Gleaner, May 31, 1943 * Newspaper article, General Noce Takes Staff Post in London, Hartford Courant, May 31, 1943 * Newspaper article, Forces Ready When Needed, Ironwood (Michigan) Daily Globe, June 8, 1943 * Newspaper article, Five Generals Named for Three-Star Rank, Los Angeles Times, March 4, 1944 * Newspaper article, Gen. Noce Is Elevated; Amphibian Expert Appointed to Civil Affairs Post, New York Times, December 11, 1946 * Newspaper article, Air Forces Given Half of Top Jobs, Berkshire (Massachusetts) Evening Eagle, January 20, 1947 * Newspaper article, Trade Survey Slated in P.I. by Noce Group, Pacific Stars and Stripes, May 4, 1948 * Newspaper article, Americans Anxious To Industrialise Japan, Canberra (Australia) Times, May 5, 1948 * Newspaper article, Gen. Noce to Succeed Taylor as Chief of Staff, European Stars and Stripes, August 9, 1949 * Newspaper article, Noce Named New Army IG, European Stars and Stripes, May 1, 1952 * Newspaper article, EUCOM bids Farewell to Gen. Noce, European Stars and Stripes, June 8, 1952 * Military Times, Hall of Heroes, Index of Recipients of Major Military Awards, http://www.homeofheroes.com/verify/recipients_n.html * Newspaper article, Retired General Accepts Position at Glass Company, Holland (Michigan) Evening Sentinel, July 11, 1955 * Newspaper article, Committee Launches into Study On Big River Basin Plans, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, June 4, 1966 * Newspaper article, River Group Will Hear Engineer, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, July 18, 1969 * Newspaper article, Rivers Act Concern Shown, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star February 5, 1970 * Armored Combat in Vietnam,

Donn A. Starry General Donn Albert Starry (May 31, 1925 – August 26, 2011) was a United States Army four-star general who served as commanding general of United States Army Training and Doctrine Command from 1977 to 1981, and as commander in chief of United Sta ...

, 1982, page 228 * Army R, D & A magazine, published by U.S. Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command, 1978, volume 19, number 6, page 25 * Newspaper article, Obituary, Robert W. Noce, Quad Cities (Illinois) Dispatch, December 1, 2005

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noce, Daniel 1894 births 1976 deaths United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel People from Denver United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of World War I MIT School of Engineering alumni United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals of World War II United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Military personnel from Colorado