Lee Saunders Gerow (March 29, 1891 – May 19, 1982) was a decorated

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 the

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 ...

with service in

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 ...

and

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 ...

. He was the younger brother of Leonard T. Gerow.

Early military years

Lee was born on March 29, 1891, in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Econ ...

, as a son of Leonard Rogers Gerow and Annie Eloise Saunders. He attended the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

and graduated on June 18, 1913. Gerow did not enter the Army immediately, but first was appointed a commandant of Bingham Military School in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. Subsequently, he spent some time as assistant commandant of

Columbia Military Academy The campus of Columbia Military Academy was built as an arsenal for the US Army in 1891 and closed after the Spanish–American War. The arsenal was declared surplus property in 1901 and in 1904 the land was formally turned over to the Columbia M ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, before he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

on November 30, 1916. He was assigned to the 36th Infantry Regiment in 1916 and was stationed on the Mexican border at Del Rio, Texas during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

. He was also promoted to the rank of first lieutenant dating back to the November 30, 1916. Subsequently, he was transferred to Fort Snelling,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, where he was appointed a company commander. He was also promoted to the rank of captain in the next year. Gerow was promoted to the rank of major on September 26, 1918, and transferred to the

Camp Sherman, Ohio Camp Sherman is an Ohio Army National Guard training site near Chillicothe, Ohio. It was established in 1917 after the U.S. entered World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars an ...

, where he assumed command of 3rd Battalion of the 379th Infantry Regiment. Here Gerow assisted in training of newly activated 95th Infantry Division, which was prepared for deployment overseas. On 11 November, the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

was signed, ending the hostilities. The division's deployment was cancelled and it was demobilized in December 1918. In January 1919, Gerow was called to

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, ...

, where he was assigned to the Army Finance Office. His new task was to take charge of the payment of the Bonus granted by Congress to the all honourably discharged soldiers who had served between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918, in the

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

. He stayed in this capacity until June 1920.

Interwar service

Gerow was subsequently sent overseas, where he was assigned to the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...

, where he was appointed a commanding officer of the Visitors Bureau, stationed in Koblenz,

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 ...

World War II

At the beginning of

, Lee Gerow was appointed a commander of the newly activated 338th Infantry Regiment, which was part of the 85th Infantry Division under the command of Major General John B. Coulter. The regiment, which was stationed at

Camp Shelby Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state-owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to s ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, conducted the Basic infantry training until the end of the year 1943. He was also promoted to the rank of

in that year and was also appointed Assistant commanding general of the 85th Infantry Division.

Medals and decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Brigadier General Lee S. Gerow:

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerow, Lee S. 1891 births 1982 deaths People from Petersburg, Virginia Virginia Military Institute alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Naval War College alumni United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the War Cross for Military Valor Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Virginia United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Infantry Branch personnel