James W. Crysel (born May 18, 1937) is a retired

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer who attained 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 ...

. He was notable for his command of

Second United States Army Second Army was most recently located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as a Direct Reporting Unit to Headquarters U.S. Army, Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6. Under the CIO/G-6, Second Army served as the single point of contact for Army missions a ...

and the 25th Infantry Division.

Early life

James Wendell Crysel was born in

Luverne, Alabama Luverne is a city in and the county seat of Crenshaw County, Alabama, United States. The city describes itself as "The Friendliest City in the South", a slogan that appears on its "welcome" signs. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,765. ...

on May 18, 1937. He graduated from

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...

in 1959 with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in

business management Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of managemen ...

. He completed the

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in al ...

program at Stetson, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

. While at Stetson, Crysel also became a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.

Military education

Crysel's professional education included: Infantry Officer Basic Course; Infantry Officer Advanced Course; Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course;

United States Army 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 ...

;

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

; and the

Capstone Military Leadership Program CAPSTONE is a joint service professional military education courses for newly promoted brigadier generals and rear admirals serving in the United States military. The National Defense University conducts the CAPSTONE course at Fort Lesley J. Mc ...

. While a student at the Army War College, Crysel also completed the requirements for his

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

degree in

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

from

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers college in Pennsylvania. ...

Early career

From 1963 to 1964, Crysel was assigned to Company E, 1st Airborne Battle Group, a unit of the 101st Airborne Division. From 1964 to 1965, he served with Company B and then Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, also 101st Division unit. During 1968, Crysel was plans and operations officer (S-3) for the Special Forces Operating Base (SFOB) at

Duc Lap Camp Duc Lap Camp (also known as Duc Lap Special Forces Camp or Hill 722) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base southwest of Buôn Ma Thuột in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. History The 5th Special Forces Gr ...

. In 1969, Crysel commanded B-55 Detachment, 5th Mobile Strike Force Command 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 ...

. He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1962, captain in 1963, and major in 1967. Crysel's

field grade officer A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...

assignments included: operations officer and later officer in charge of joint military service participation for the 1973 Presidential Inauguration; executive officer of 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard); personnel staff officer in the Office of the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (G-1); commander, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment; special assistant to the chief of staff, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); and assistant chief of staff for operations and director of plans and training (G-3), 101st Airborne Division. His later field grade officer positions included commander of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, and chief of staff for 2nd Infantry Division.

Career as general officer

After receiving 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 ...

, Crysel served as assistant division commander for support, 101st Airborne Division, and then as the division's assistant division commander for operations. From 1985 to 1986, he served as director of plans for the

United States Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...

. Crysel received 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 ...

in 1986, and commanded the 25th Infantry Division from 1986 to 1988. From 1988 to 1990, Crysel commanded the Total Army Personnel Agency in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

. He was commander of

from 1990 to 1993, and received promotion to

. He retired in 1993.

Awards and decorations

Crysel's awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Defense Superior Service Medal. In addition, he received: the Bronze Star Medal (with one

Oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

);

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

(with four Oak Leaf Clusters);

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 ...

(with numeral 4); and

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

(with two Oak Leaf Clusters). In addition, Crysel received: 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 e ...

;

Expert Infantryman Badge The Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB, is a special skills badge of the United States Army. The EIB was created with the CIB by executive order in November 1943 during World War II. Currently, it is awarded to U.S. Army personnel who hold infan ...

;

Master Parachutist The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces. The United States Space Force and United States Coast Guard are the only branches that do not award the Parachutist Badge, bu ...

, Air Assault, and

Pathfinder Pathfinder may refer to: Businesses * Pathfinder Energy Services, a division of Smith International * Pathfinder Press, a publisher of socialist literature Computing and information science * Path Finder, a Macintosh file browser * Pathfinder ( ...

Badges; and the

Army Staff Identification Badge The United States Army Staff Identification Badge is a badge of the United States Army worn by personnel who serve at the Office of the Secretary of the Army and the Army Staff at Headquarters, Department of the Army ( HQDA) and its agencies. N ...

Family

He is married to the former Trudy R. Eldridge. They have two children, Kirsten and James. In retirement, Crysel resided in

Fripp Island, South Carolina Fripp Island is a 6.546 sq mi (16.954 km2) barrier island and census-designated place (CDP) located along the Atlantic coast of the lowcountry part of South Carolina. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 963. ...

References

Sources

Books

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Internet

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crysel, James W. 1937 births Living people People from Luverne, Alabama People from Beaufort County, South Carolina Stetson University alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania alumni United States Army generals United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal