Charles J. Girard

Charles J. Girard (July 23, 1917 – January 17, 1970) was a brigadier general in the United States Army. Assigned to head the Capital Military Assistance Command in Saigon in November 1969, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage two months later, becoming one of the highest-ranking American officers to die in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Charles J. Girard
Charles J. Girard as Assistant Division Commander of the 3rd Armored Division in 1966.
Born(1917-07-23)July 23, 1917
Sumter, South Carolina
DiedJanuary 17, 1970(1970-01-17) (aged 52)
Gia Định Province, South Vietnam
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1938-1970
Rank Brigadier General
Commands held82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
2nd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment
83rd Reconnaissance Battalion
Combat Command A, 1st Armored Division
Combat Developments Command Experimentation Center
Capital Military Assistance Command, Saigon
Battles/warsWorld War II
Vietnam War
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit (3)
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star Medal

A native of Sumter, South Carolina and a graduate of The Citadel, Girard taught school and served in the Army Reserve prior to World War II. During the war he took part in combat throughout Africa and Europe, and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel as commander of the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. He remained in the Army after the war, and continued to serve in combat and training assignments, primarily in the Armor branch.

During the Vietnam War, Girard was Deputy Commander of the Capital Military Assistance Command (CMAC) in Saigon (March-November 1969). In November, he was appointed as CMAC's commander. In January 1970, Girard died from a cerebral hemorrhage while still serving in South Vietnam; he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Early life

Charles Jack Girard was born in Sumter, South Carolina on July 23, 1917,[1] and he graduated from Sumter High School.[2] In 1938 he graduated from The Citadel[3] with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.[4] Girard was commissioned through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve[5] and taught high school from 1938 to 1940.[6]

World War II

In anticipation of U.S. entry into World War II, Girard was among thousands of reservists and National Guard members called to active duty in 1940.[7] He completed the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses,[8] and served initially as a platoon leader in the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia.[9] His battalion was part of the 2nd Armored Division, and Girard rose to captain and commander of a company as his battalion served in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operations.[10] He took part in the Tunisia, Sicily, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe campaigns, and he was battalion commander with the rank of major at the end of the war.[11]

Post-World War II

After the war Girard received his commission as a regular Army officer and transferred to the Cavalry. He remained in Europe as commander of 2nd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. In May 1946, he was assigned to the headquarters staff for United States Forces in Austria.[12]

In 1947 Girard was assigned to the staff of the Georgia Military District Headquarters,[13] and from 1949 to 1950 he was a student at the United States Army Command and General Staff College.[14] He spent five years on the staff of the United States Army Armor School at Fort Knox.[15] From 1955 to 1957 he commanded 83rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Armored Division, first at Fort Knox, and later in Europe.[16]

Girard served in the Plans, Operations and Training (G-3) section at Headquarters, United States Army Europe from 1957 to 1959, first as chief of the NATO Training Section, and then chief of the Training Branch.[17] From 1959 to 1960 he was a student at the United States Army War College,[12] after which he served as deputy commander and then commander of Combat Command A, 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood.[18]

Later career

In 1961 Girard was assigned to the Doctrine and Concepts Division, Combat Developments Directorate in the office of the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Operations and Training (G-3), and he later served as chief of the Doctrine and Concepts Division.[19] During this posting Girard carried out a temporary assignment as deputy chief of the Long Range Plans Group for the Howze Board. In 1963 he was appointed assistant director for Materiel Requirements in the office of the Army's Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development.[20]

In August 1963 Girard was assigned to command Combat Developments Command Experimentation Center at Fort Ord and promoted to brigadier general.[21] In May, 1965 he was assigned as Assistant Chief of Staff for Data Systems at Headquarters, Seventh United States Army in Europe.[22]

Girard was assigned to Frankfurt, West Germany as the 3rd Armored Division's Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver in July, 1966, and he served until January 1968.[23] He was Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations & Reserve Forces at Headquarters, Continental Army Command until March, 1969.[24]

Vietnam War
Saigon, March 1969. Girard arrives to become Deputy Commanding General, Capital Military Assistance Command. Behind him is BG Frederic Davison.

From March to November 1969 Girard was Deputy Commander of the Capital Military Assistance Command (CMAC) in Saigon, the unit that aided the South Vietnamese military in defending the city and its suburbs.[25] In November, 1969 he was appointed commander, and he served until his death.[26]

Death and burial

On January 17, 1970 Girard was found dead in his quarters at the CMAC headquarters in Gia Định Province outside Saigon.[27] His death was attributed to a cerebral hemorrhage,[28] and he was one of the highest ranking American officers to die in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.[29] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 1, Site 32-2.[30]

Awards and decorations

Family

Girard was married to Joan E. B. Minford, who served in the Women's Army Corps during World War II and attained the rank of captain before receiving her discharge in 1946.[31][32] They were the parents of six children: Thomas A. Girard, PhD; Renee Julia Girard; Charles Jack Girard Jr.; Stephanie Joan Girard (deceased); Yvonne (Bonnie) Dawes Girard; and Marguerite Florence Girard.[2]

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See also

U.S. Army general officers who died in the Vietnam War:

References
  1. "Defense Casualty Analysis System, Entry for Charles Jack Girard". Access to Archival Databases (AAD). Washington, DC: National Archives and records Administration. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  2. "Sumter General Dies". Sumter Daily Item. Sumter, SC. January 17, 1970.
  3. Bulletin of the Citadel, 1938-1939. Charleston, SC: The Citadel. 1937. p. 124.
  4. Catalog of The Citadel. Charleston, SC: The Citadel. 1939. p. 151.
  5. Bulletin of the Citadel, 1941-1942. Charleston, SC: The Citadel. 1941. p. 223.
  6. Bulletin of the Citadel, 1939-1940. Charleston, SC: The Citadel. 1940. p. 196.
  7. Bulletin of the Citadel, 1939-1940, p. 196.
  8. U.S. Army Adjutant General (1960). Official U.S. Army Register. Washington, DC: Department of the Army. p. 383.
  9. Bulletin of the Citadel, 1941-1942, p. 223.
  10. "Col. Girard Commanding CCA, 1st AD". The Armored Sentinel. Ft. Hood, TX. August 5, 1960. p. 1.
  11. "List of Officers Attending Conference on Mechanized Cavalry at Headquarters, Seventh Army, 24 August 1945" (PDF). usacac.army.mil. Ft. Leavenworth, KS: U.S. Army Combined Arms Center. August 24, 1945. p. 4. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  12. "Col. Girard Commanding CCA, 1st AD", p. 1.
  13. Jones, Howell (July 9, 1948). "Georgia High in Defense Plan". Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, GA. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. U.S. Army Adjutant General (1961). U.S. Army Register. 1. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 197 – via Ancestry.com.
  15. "Carries Own Foxhole". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, KY. March 20, 1955 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Deringer, Clifton H., Jr. (2017). Allegiance and Devotion: The Life and Times of Clifton Hurtt Deringer Jr. Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance Publishing Company. p. 305. ISBN 978-1-4809-2508-3.
  17. "COL Girard to Address Rotarians". The Armored Sentinel. Ft. Hood, TX. October 21, 1960. p. 3.
  18. "Lunch Honors Col. Girard". The Armored Sentinel. Fort Hood, TX. July 7, 1961. p. 4.
  19. "Secretary Vance Announces Reassignments, Retirements of Army Officers". Army Research and Development. Washington, DC. August 1, 1963. p. 21.
  20. "Secretary Vance Announces Reassignments", p. 21.
  21. "Brig. Gen. Girard Assigned as Commander of CDEC" (PDF). Army Research and Development Newsmagazine. Washington, DC. October 1, 1963. p. 15.
  22. Army Research and Development. Washington, DC: Development and Engineering Directorate, U.S. Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command. 1966. p. 17.
  23. Krueger, John (March 2, 1967). "Spearheaders End Mini-Maneuvers". Stars and Stripes. Darmstadt, Germany. p. 9 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  24. "Defense Department Official at Conarc". Daily Press. Newport News, VA. December 10, 1968. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. "Gen. Charles Girard Dies; Commander in Saigon, 52". The New York Times. New York, NY. Associated Press. January 18, 1970.
  26. "Gen. Charles Girard Dies".
  27. Associated Press (January 18, 1970). "General Girard Dies in Vietnam". Florence Morning News. Florence, SC.
  28. Associated Press (January 17, 1970). "Deaths in the News: Brig. Gen. Charles J. Girard". Danville Bee. Danville, VA.
  29. Rush, Robert S. (August 7, 2014). "General and Flag Officers Killed in War: Vietnam War". War on the Rocks. Washington, DC: War on the Rocks Media, LLC. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  30. "Charles J. Girard". Arlington National Cemetery. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  31. "Joan Minford, WAC, promoted to Captain". Scarsdale Inquirer. Scarsdale, NY. November 23, 1945. p. 12.
  32. "Joan E. Minford Wed in France". Scarsdale Inquirer. Scarsdale, NY. October 4, 1946. p. 14.
Military offices
Preceded by
Walter B. Richardson		 Commander of Capital Military Assistance Command, Saigon
1969–1970		 Succeeded by
Herbert E. Wolf
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