Joseph Warren Stilwell Jr.

Brigadier General Joseph Warren Stilwell Jr. (March 6, 1912 – July 25, 1966) was a United States Army general best known for his service in United States Army Special Forces and the United States Army Support Group in the Vietnam War.

Joseph Warren Stilwell Jr.
Nickname(s)"Jumping Joe"
"Gunner Six"
"Cider Joe"
Born(1912-03-06)March 6, 1912
Syracuse, New York
DiedJuly 25, 1966(1966-07-25) (aged 54)
Pacific Ocean
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1933–1966
RankBrigadier General
Commands held7th Infantry Division
China Burma India Theater
23rd Infantry Regiment
18th Airborne Corps
United States Army Support Group
United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center
United States Army Special Forces Command
Battles/warsWorld War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit (2)
Distinguished Flying Cross
Soldier's Medal
Bronze Star Medal (4)
Purple Heart (2)
Air Medal (26)
RelationsGeneral Joseph Stilwell (father)

Early life

Stilwell was born in Syracuse, New York, one of five children of General Joseph Stilwell. He attended West Point, graduating in the class of 1933.

Military career

Stilwell served as a lieutenant with the 15th Infantry Regiment (United States) in China in 1937.

Stilwell served as commander of United States Army Support Group, Vietnam (renamed United States Army Support Command, Vietnam from March 1, 1964) from August 26, 1962, until June 30, 1964.[1]

Death

Stilwell was lost at sea on July 25, 1966, when flying a C-47 to Hawaii with longtime friend and pilot Hal Grimes of Air Ferry International. Harold Fossum was the navigator. The C-47 was to continue on to Thailand; however, Stilwell was only intending to travel as far as Hawaii to increase his instrument rating qualification. The Coast Guard, USAF and US Navy (including three destroyers and the USS Yorktown) searched an area of 105,000 square miles without finding any trace of the aircraft.[2]

Awards and decorations
Distinguished Service Medal
 Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross
Soldier's Medal
 Bronze Star Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters and Valor device
 Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal with award numeral 26
Presidential Unit Citation
 Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster
China Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
United Nations Korea Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge[3]
gollark: For all the ridiculous problems of my workflow, I will go to *great* effort to solve a problem without having to go through the hassle and high latency of actually asking people.
gollark: Ah, learned helplessness.
gollark: Well, it might be if I go to a university or something with hard time consuming courses. Right now I only do 25 hours a week *at most* of work.
gollark: They even *commend* me for doing my homework *technically* mostly on time, unlike one of my brothers.
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References
  1. Eckhardt, George (1974). Vietnam Studies Command and Control 1950–1969. Department of the Army. pp. 36–37. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. "C47 Hunt Expanded". The Deseret News. 26 July 1966. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22044
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