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 ...

Roy Ernest Lindquist (February 18, 1907 – November 19, 1986) was a highly decorated senior

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 An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

. He saw service during

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 ...

and is most noted for his leadership of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) during the campaign in Western Europe from June 1944 to May 1945.

Early years

Roy was born on February 18, 1907, in

West Newton, Massachusetts West Newton is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Among the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages, the West Newton Village Center is a National Register Historic District. ...

, as the first of the three sons to Ernst and Anna Lindquist. He attended

Maine Central Institute Maine Central Institute (MCI) is an independent high school in Pittsfield, Maine, United States that was established in 1866. The school enrolls approximately 430 students and is a nonsectarian institution. The school has both boarding and da ...

Pittsfield, Maine Pittsfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,908 at the 2020 census. Pittsfield is home to the Maine Central Institute, a semi-private boarding school, and the annual Central Maine Egg Festival. History ...

. He also enlisted in the

Maine Army National Guard The Maine Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one-thir ...

in January 1924 in order to support his effort to be appointed to

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 ...

. Young Lindquist was finally appointed to

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

as a Cadet on July 1, 1926. He graduated on June 11, 1930 and was also commissioned a Second lieutenant in infantry on that date. Subsequently, he was assigned to Fort Williams,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. He also married his fiancée Alice in December of the same year. He spent the next decade on the various infantry assignments in the United States, and also attended the Company Officers' Course at

Infantry School A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. France ...

at Fort Benning,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in 1934. He was promoted to the rank of

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

on August 1, 1935. By October 1939, Lindquist served with 29th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning,

World War II

In 1940, Roy joined the newly created 501st Parachute Battalion at Fort Benning and after two years of intensive training, he was appointed a commanding officer of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on October 20, 1942. Lindquist commanded the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment throughout the whole war, during extensive training and maneuvers before the deployment oversea. The 508th Parachute Infantry arrived in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

in January 1944 and moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in March of the same year, and later participated in the

Normandy Campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

, Operation Market Garden and

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

. He was succeeded in command of the regiment by Lieutenant Colonel Otho E. Holmes in December 1945. For his leadership of the regiment during the War, he was awarded with Silver Star ( Operation Overlord), Legion of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals,

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, ...

and

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 ...

by the Government of the United States. He was decorated with the Bronze Lion by the Government of the Netherlands for his service during Operation Market Garden. France decorated him with the Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (France), ''Croix de guerre 1939-1945'' for his part in

Postwar service

After World War II, Lindquist graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Command and General Staff School in 1946. He was then assigned to

at Fort Benning,

. He was appointed an assistant commander of the Airborne Department of the school under command of Brigadier General William M. Miley. He served in this capacity until 1948, when he was transferred to Greece to become a member of the Joint Military Assistance Group during the Greek Civil War. He stayed there until 1950. For his service, Lindquist was awarded with the Order of the Phoenix (Greece), Order of the Phoenix in the grade of Officer by the Government of Greece. After his return to the States, Lindquist attended the National War College in Washington, D.C. After graduation in 1951, he was appointed to the office of Assistant Chief Of Staff within Army Ground Forces. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general in 1953 and appointed a commander of the 187th Infantry Regiment (United States), 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, which was stationed in Korea and consisted from several Airborne units in the size of brigade. Lindquist stayed in Korea and was appointed a Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the IX Corps (United States), IX Corps under the command of Lieutenant General James Edward Moore. Now a major general, Lindquist was transferred back to the States and posted to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, before he was appointed a commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (United States), 3rd Infantry Division in March 1957. After his death, Lindquist was buried at the West Point Cemetery on November 24, 1986.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Major General Roy E. Lindquist:

References

External links

* http://www.americandday.org/Veterans/Lindquist_Roy_E.html
United States Army Officers 1939–1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindquist, Roy E. 1907 births 1986 deaths Military personnel from Newton, Massachusetts Maine Central Institute alumni Maine National Guard personnel United States Military Academy alumni Army Black Knights men's ice hockey players United States Army Infantry Branch personnel United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Bronze Lion United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Recipients of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) National War College alumni United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Burials at West Point Cemetery