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George D. Shea

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George D. Shea
From 1948's The Amphibious Eighth
Born(1894-01-11)January 11, 1894
Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJanuary 13, 1971(1971-01-13) (aged 77)
Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.
Buried
Main Post Cemetery, Fort Benning, Georgia
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1915–1953
RankMajor General
Service number05465
UnitU.S. Army Field Artillery Branch
CommandsBattery D, 17th Field Artillery Regiment
1st Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment
Department of Animal Transportation, United States Army Field Artillery School
90th Infantry Division Artillery
141st Field Artillery Brigade
XIX Corps Artillery
War Department Personnel Center
86th Infantry Division Artillery
Central Sub-area, Sixth United States Army
Army General School
10th Mountain Division
Battles / warsPancho Villa Expedition
World War I
American Forces in Germany
World War II
Occupation of Japan
Korean War
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star (2)
Legion of Merit (2)
Bronze Star Medal (2)
Spouse(s)Edna (Manheim) Shea (m. 1934–1971, his death)
Children1

George D. Shea (January 11, 1894 – January 13, 1971) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, Shea attained the rank of major general, and was a recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Silver Star, two awards of the Legion of Merit, and two awards of the Bronze Star Medal, as well as several foreign awards.

A native of Augusta, Georgia, Shea attended the local schools and was a graduate of the Academy of Richmond County. In 1913 and 1914, he took competitive examinations for admission to the United States Military Academy and United States Naval Academy. He was selected for both, but declined in favor of beginning his military career immediately. In February 1915 he enlisted as a private in the United States Army. Assigned to the 1st Engineer Battalion, Shea attained the rank of corporal before successfully applying for a commission in 1917. Appointed as a second lieutenant of Field Artillery and assigned to the 21st Field Artillery Regiment, Shea served in France during World War I, and commanded a battery and battalion in the 17th Field Artillery Regiment, a unit of the 2nd Division. After the war ended in 1918, Shea remained in Germany and performed post-war occupation duty.

After World War I, Shea became qualified as a Cavalry officer, and he carried out a variety of assignments in the Field Artillery branch, some of which included horse-drawn equipment. In 1936, he graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College. During World War II Shea was promoted to colonel, and served as chief of staff of the 8th Infantry Division and commander of the 90th Infantry Division Artillery. Promoted to brigadier general in July 1942, Shea commanded the 141st Field Artillery Brigade during its organization and training at Camp Gordon, Georgia. When the brigade was redesignated as the XIX Corps Artillery, Shea continued in command, and he led his unit during combat in Europe from late 1943 until the end of the war in the spring of 1945.

After the war, Shea commanded the War Department Personnel Center at Jefferson Barracks Military Post, Missouri, then the 86th Infantry Division Artillery in the Philippines. He subsequently served as assistant chief of operations (G-3) for the Philippines Ground Forces Command, which was subsequently reorganized as the Philippines—Ryukyus Command. He served as G-3 of Eighth United States Army during its occupation of Japan and its organization and fielding of forces in South Korea during the lead up to the Korean War, and was promoted to major general in 1949.

After briefly serving as deputy commander and chief of staff of the Philippines Command, Shea returned to the United States in late 1949 and commanded the Sixth United States Army’s Central Sub-area at the Presidio of San Francisco. In 1950, he was assigned as chief artillery inspector for Army Field Forces. In 1950 and 1951 he was commander of the Army General School at Fort Riley, Kansas. From November 1951 to January 1953, Shea commanded the 10th Mountain Division, then a basic training unit based at Fort Riley. Shea retired from the military in January 1953. He died in Coral Gables, Florida on January 13, 1971. Shea was buried at Fort Benning’s Main Post Cemetery.

Early life

George David Shea[1] was born in Augusta, Georgia[2] on January 11, 1894,[3] the son of William Thomas Shea and Joanna (Bodeker) Shea.[4] He was educated in the schools of Augusta, and was a 1914 graduate of the Academy of Richmond County.[5] While at the academy, Shea participated in its corps of cadets, in which he attained the rank of captain.[6][7] In May 1912, Shea won the Augusta YMCA's annual drill and ceremony contest, and later that month he received the Levy medal for winning the academy's annual competition.[6]

In 1913, Shea competed for an appointment to the United States Military Academy by taking an examination offered by U.S. Senator M. Hoke Smith.[8] He also competed for an appointment to the United States Naval Academy offered by Congressman Thomas W. Hardwick.[9] He was selected for both, but chose not to accept either.[9][10] Determined to begin his military career immediately, in 1915 he enlisted as a private in the United States Army's 1st Engineer Battalion.[5][11] Shea served in the enlisted ranks until successfully applying for a commission, and he attained the rank of corporal.[11][12] In addition to serving on the Mexico–United States border during the Pancho Villa Expedition, Shea was part of a team that carried out surveys of the Atlantic coast from Brunswick, Georgia to Charleston, South Carolina.[7][13]

World War I

In early 1917, Shea took the examination for an army commission, and he attained a near perfect score of 99.05.[14] In June 1917, he was appointed as a second lieutenant of Field Artillery.[15] With the army expanding for World War I, Shea was promoted to first lieutenant on the same day he received his commission.[5] Assigned initially to the 21st Field Artillery Regiment, Shea completed training at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and Camp Robinson, Wisconsin, then served in combat in France as a member of the 17th Field Artillery Regiment, a unit of the 2nd Division.[5] Shea was promoted to captain in December 1917, and his wartime service included command of Battery D, 17th Field Artillery and acting commander of a 17th Field Artillery battalion.[5][16] He was wounded during the war, for which he later received the Purple Heart.[17] After the war, Shea remained in Germany for post-war occupation duty as a member of American Forces in Germany.[5]

Post-World War I

After returning to the United States, Shea served with the 15th Field Artillery Regiment at Camp Travis, Texas.[5] In 1923 he graduated from the Field Artillery Battery Officers' Course, and he was a 1924 graduate of the Cavalry Troop Officers' Course.[1] Subsequent assignments included instructor at the Field Artillery School. and in 1930 he acted as commander of 1st Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, a unit of the 4th Infantry Division.[1][18] In the 1920s and 1930s, the army encouraged polo playing, believing that the game taught teamwork and encouraged leaders to make rapid decisions under stress.[19] Shea played on several teams fielded by the units to which he was assigned, and participated in several tournaments.[20] Shea also participated in other army equestrian events, including show jumping.[21]

Shea was promoted to major in 1933.[5] In 1936, he graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College.[1] Following completion of the staff college, Shea was assigned as director of the Department of Animal Transportation at the United States Army Field Artillery School.[5] In 1940 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned as the 8th Infantry Division's assistant chief of staff for supply (G-4).[5] In October 1941 he was assigned as the division's chief of staff and in December 1941 he received promotion to colonel.[5]

World War II

In July 1942, Shea was promoted to brigadier general, and in August he was assigned as commander of the 90th Infantry Division Artillery, which he led during its initial organization and training.[5] In September 1943, he assumed command of the 141st Field Artillery Brigade at Camp Gordon, Georgia.[5] When the brigade was redesignated the XIX Corps Artillery, Shea continued in command and led the organization during its training at Camp Polk, Louisiana.[5] After arrival in Europe in 1944 on D-Day plus 4, XIX Corps served on the Western Front until the end of the war in early 1945, and he led the corps artillery during combat as part of both First Army and Ninth Army.[2][5]

Post-World War II

Shea as commander of the 10th Mountain Division in 1951

Shea returned to the United States in June 1945 and assumed command of the War Department Personnel Center at Jefferson Barracks Military Post, Missouri.[5] In May 1946, he was assigned as commander of the 86th Infantry Division Artillery in the Philippines.[5] Shea was later assigned as assistant chief of operations (G-3) for the Philippines Ground Forces Command.[5] When this unit was reorganized as the Philippines—Ryukyus Command, Shea continued to serve as G-3.[5] In March 1949, he was promoted to major general while serving as G-3 of Eighth United States Army during the Occupation of Japan and the command's organization and fielding of forces in South Korea during the lead up to the Korean War.[22][23][24]

In early 1949, Shea was assigned as deputy commander and chief of staff of the Philippines Command.[25] In November 1949, Shea was assigned to the Presidio of San Francisco as commander of Sixth United States Army’s Central Sub-area.[5] In 1950, he was assigned as chief artillery inspector for Army Field Forces (AFF).[5]

After briefly serving as AFF artillery inspector, from 1950 to 1951 Shea commanded the Army General School at Fort Riley, Kansas.[26] During this assignment, he received credit for developing and expanding the army's Psychological Operations training program.[26] Shea commanded the 10th Mountain Division, then a basic training unit based at Fort Riley, from November 1951 to January 1953.[27] He retired from the military in January 1953.[28]

Awards

Shea's awards and decorations included:[29][30]

Retirement and death

In retirement, Shea was a resident of Coral Gables, Florida.[31] He died in Coral Gables on January 13, 1971.[31] He was buried at the Main Post Cemetery at Fort Benning, Georgia.[31]

Family

In 1934, Shea became the husband of Edna Manheim (1908–1976).[32][33] They were the parents of a son, George David Shea Jr. (1939–1992).[31][34]

References

  1. ^ a b c d U.S. Army Adjutant General (1952). Official Army Register. Vol. I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 64 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b "Veterans Mature, No Problem, New Barracks Chief Says". St. Louis Star-Times. St. Louis, MO. June 14, 1945. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Sylvan, William C.; Smith, Francis G. (2008). Greenwood, John T. (ed.). Normandy to Victory: The War Diary of General Courtney H. Hodges & the First U.S. Army. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. p. 396. ISBN 978-0-8131-3866-4 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Illness Fatal to W. T. Shea At Sanitarium". The Macon News. Macon, GA. April 18, 1945. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Andre, John A., ed. (April 1951). "From Private to General". Life of the Soldier and Airman. Governors Island, NY: Recruiting Publicity Bureau, U.S. Army. p. 9 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b "George Shea Won Individual Drill". The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, GA. May 25, 1912. p. 10 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  7. ^ a b "Theta Sigma Club Fetes Capt. Shea". The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, GA. November 14, 1920. p. 5 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  8. ^ "Georgia Boys Named for West Point Exams". The Constitution. Atlanta, GA. November 29, 1913. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Goes to Annapolis: George D. Shea, of Last Year's Academy Class, Gets Scholarship Appointment". The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, GA. September 29, 1914. p. 4 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  10. ^ "Talking It Over: Mr. George Shea". The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, GA. October 2, 1914. p. 6 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  11. ^ a b U.S. Senate (1959). Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States. Vol. LI, Part I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 220 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Creel, George, Chairman (July 14, 1917). "List of Second Lieutenants Appointed From the Enlisted Men of the Regular Army and Assignments Given Them With Rank From June 3, 1917". The Official Bulletin. Washington, DC: Committee On Public Information. p. 14 – via Google Books.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Corporal Shea Here Visiting Parents". The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, GA. May 8, 1916. p. 4 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  14. ^ "Talking It Over: Corporal George D. Shea". The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, GA. April 24, 1917. p. 6 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  15. ^ "Appointment Announced of Second Lieutenants In Army". The Evening Star. Washington, DC. July 11, 1917. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "The Doughboys' Memorial, 1917–1919: 2nd Division, 17th Field Artillery". The Doughboys Memorial.com. Le Château, Meuse, France: l'Association Les Américains de la Gondrecourt Area. 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  17. ^ "American Roll of Honor". The Chattanooga News. Chattanooga, TN. May 12, 1919. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General (July 1, 1931). Army List and Directory. Washington, DC: U.S. Government printing Office. p. 23 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ "History, Government Relations & Military". International Polo Tour.com. Delray Beach, FL: International Polo Tour. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  20. ^ "Headquarters Victorious In Last Game Of Tourney: Cups Awarded Winners". San Antonio Evening News. El Paso, TX. May 12, 2022. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Women to Vie With Men In Army Horse Show". The San Antonio Light. San Antonio, TX. November 20, 1921. p. 7 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  22. ^ "Gen. Shea Shifted". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, HI. Associated Press. May 16, 1947. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Historical Section, Eighth U.S. Army (1948). The Amphibious Eighth. Tokyo, Japan: Eighth United States Army. pp. 107–108 – via Google Books.
  24. ^ "Service Appointments". The Honolulu Advertiser. Honolulu, HI. March 2, 1949. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Shea to Be Chief of Staff In Philippines Command". Kenosha News. Kenosha, WI. Associated Press. April 9, 1949. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b Tracy, Jared M. (2011). "Rebuilding PSYWAR: The Psychological Warfare Division, the Office of the Chief of Psychological Warfare, and the Psywar School at Fort Riley, 1950-1951". Veritas: Journal of Army Special Operations History. Vol. 7, no. 2. Ft. Bragg, NC: U.S. Army Special Operations Center. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via arsof-history.org.
  27. ^ "New Commandant At Ft. Riley". Kansas City Times. Kansas City, MO. September 12, 1951. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "General Harrold Takes Over A Riley Command". Leavenworth Times. Leavenworth, KS. Associated Press. January 27, 1953. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "WWII XIX Corps General Shea Silver Star DSM Medal Group". LiveAuctioneers. New York, NY: Live Auctioneers LLC. August 8, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  30. ^ 82nd U.S. Congress (1951). "United States Army General Officers With Enlisted Service". Congressional Record, September 18, 1951 – October 20, 1951. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 6492 – via Google Books.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ a b c d "Maj. Gen. (Ret.) George D. Shea". Lawton Constitution. Lawton, OK. January 19, 1971. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Citizen Georgian (Montezuma, GA) (March 28, 2007). "Obituary, Mrs. George D. [Edna Manheim] Shea, August 13, 1976". Macon County Georgia Obituaries: S. Marshallville, GA: Davine Campbell. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  33. ^ "Social Chat: Major George D. Shea and Miss Edna Manheim". The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, GA. August 10, 1934. p. 7 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  34. ^ National Cemetery Administration (August 16, 1992). "U.S. Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2019, Entry for George D. Shea Jr". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
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