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Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Jr.

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Charles H. Bonesteel Jr.
Major General Charles H. Bonesteel Jr.
BornApril 9, 1885 (1885-04-09)
Fort Sidney, Nebraska
DiedJune 5, 1964 (1964-06-06) (aged 79)
Washington, D.C.
Place of burial
Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1908-1947
Rank Major General
UnitUnited States Army Infantry School
Commands1st Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment
19th Infantry Regiment
Sixth Corps Area
5th Infantry Division
Iceland Base Command
United States Army Infantry School
Western Defense Command
G-1 Section, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
General Inspectorate Section, U.S. European Theater of Operations
War Department Manpower Board
Battles / warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
RelationsMajor Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Sr. (Father)
General Charles Hartwell Bonesteel III (Son)

Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Jr. (April 9, 1885 – June 5, 1964) was a Major General in the United States Army. He commanded the United States Army Infantry School and the G-1 (personnel) staff section of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II. He was the father of General Charles H. Bonesteel III.

Early life

The son of U.S. Army Major Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Sr. (1851 – 1902; West Point, 1876), the second Charles H. Bonesteel (pronounced "Bonn-eh-stel")[1] was born at Fort Sidney, Nebraska on April 9, 1885.[2] His mother Mary Greene Bonesteel, was the daughter of Oliver Duff Greene, who received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Antietam.[3] Bonesteel graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1908 and was appointed a Second Lieutenant of Infantry.[4]

Start of career and World War I

His initial assignments included postings in the Philippines, Hawaii and Texas. During World War I he served with the 55th Infantry Regiment, and later at the Newport News, Virginia point of embarkation.

Post-World War I

From 1919 to 1924 Bonesteel was an instructor at West Point.[5]

Bonesteel graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1926 and served on the staff of the Chief of Infantry until 1930. From 1930 to 1931 Bonesteel was assigned to the 18th Infantry Regiment, first as Commander of its 1st Battalion, and later as the regiment's Executive Officer, or second in command. In 1932 he graduated from the United States Army War College.[6]

From 1932 to 1940 Bonesteel's assignments included: Instructor and Section Chief at the Infantry School; Commander, 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment; and Commander of the 19th Infantry Regiment.[7]

World War II

Beginning in 1940 Bonetseel's service covered several senior staff and command positions, to include: Chief of Staff, VI Corps Area and Second U.S. Army; Commander, Sixth Corps Area;[8] Commander, 5th Infantry Division;[9] Commander, Iceland Base Command;[10] Commandant of the Infantry School;[11] Commander, Western Defense Command;[12] and Assistant to the Commanding General, Twelfth United States Army Group. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1940[13] and Major General in 1941.[14]

In 1944 Bonesteel was assigned as Commander of the G-1 (Personnel) Staff Section at SHAEF Headquarters. He remained in this position until 1945, when he was assigned as Chief of the General Inspectorate Section for the U.S. European Theater of Operations.[15] Later in 1945 Bonesteel returned to the United States as President of the War Department Manpower Board, where he served until retiring in 1947.[16]

Death and burial

Bonesteel died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. on June 5, 1964.[17][18] He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Site 1374-A.[19]

Awards and decorations

Family

In 1908 Bonesteel married Caroline Standish Mead Hudson (1885-1965). Their children included daughter Eleanor and son Charles H. Bonesteel III. Eleanor Bonesteel was the wife of United States Air Force General Nils O. Ohman (1914-1993).

References

  1. ^ New York Times, Bonesteel of Iceland, May 17, 1942
  2. ^ James Terry White, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 51, 1969, page 248
  3. ^ "Memorial: Charles H. Bonesteel, 1908". West Point Association of Graduates. 1964.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ George Washington Cullum, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, Volume 5, 1910, page 820
  5. ^ A. N. Marquis, The Monthly Supplement: A Current Biographical Reference Service, Volumes 1-2, 1940, page 194
  6. ^ Marquis Who's Who, Who Was Who In American History: The Military, 1975, page 56
  7. ^ Maxine Block, E. Mary Trow, Current Biography: Who's News and Why, 1942, pages 95 to 96
  8. ^ Chicago Tribune, Gen. Bonesteel Made Chief of 6th Corps Area, October 11, 1940
  9. ^ H. W. Wilson Company, Current Biography Yearbook, Volume 3, 1942, page 95
  10. ^ New York Times, Bonesteel Made Chief in Iceland, April 28, 1942
  11. ^ Peggy A. Stelpflug, Richard Hyatt, Home of the Infantry: The History of Fort Benning, 2007, page 152
  12. ^ Christian Science Monitor, Petition Seeks to Allow Nisei Return to Coast, July 6, 1944
  13. ^ New York Times, Eleven promoted in High Army Ranks, April 25, 1940
  14. ^ Chicago Tribune, Name Bonesteel and Nine Others Major Generals, April 11, 1941
  15. ^ Brenda Moore, To Serve My Country, to Serve My Race, 1997, Notes for Chapter 5
  16. ^ Associated Press, Army Slashes its Civilian Personnel, Daytona Beach Morning Journal, August 30, 1946
  17. ^ New York Times, Maj. Gen. Charles H. Bonesteel, Officer in 2 Wars, Dead at 79, June 6, 1964
  18. ^ Baltimore Sun, Bonesteel, General, Dies, June 6, 1964
  19. ^ Thomas E. Spencer, Where They're Buried, 2009, page 457
  20. ^ a b c "Official US Army Register". U.S. Army Adjutant General. 1946. p. 68.
  21. ^ a b Houterman, Hans. "US Army Officers 1939-1945: Bonesteel, Charles Hartwell". World War II unit histories. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
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