Robert M. Shoemaker

Robert Morin Shoemaker (February 18, 1924 – June 21, 2017) was a U.S. Army general and former commander of the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM). He is also an inductee into the Aviation Hall of Fame.

Robert M. Shoemaker
Official portrait of Robert Shoemaker, CG FORSCOM
Birth nameRobert Morin Shoemaker
Born(1924-02-18)February 18, 1924
Almont, Michigan
DiedJune 21, 2017(2017-06-21) (aged 93)
Harker Heights, Texas
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1946–1982
Rank General
Commands heldU.S. Army Forces Command
III Corps
1st Cavalry Division
Battles/warsKorean War
Cold War
Vietnam War
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star Medal
Air Medal
Other workCommissioner, Bell County, Texas

Life and military career

He was born in 1924 in Almont, Michigan[1] Shoemaker graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1946, and was commissioned in the infantry. Prior to that, he enlisted in the Navy as an officer. Weeks before entering active duty in the Navy, he joined the Army [2] he served in various assignment in the 1st Infantry Division,the 82nd Airborne Division and the 2nd Infantry Division. He subsequently became the Infantry Branch assignments officer, and later was an advisor to the Iranian military.

In 1960 he earned his aviator's wings, and remained a member of the faculty at the Aviation School. In 1962, he served on the Tactical Mobility Requirements Board, also known as the Howze Board, which developed many of the principles used in air assault operations. He was then sent to Vietnam to assess the potential of Army aviation. He was assigned to the experimental 11th Air Assault Division at Fort Benning as division G-3. The division was later redesignated the 1st Cavalry Division in July 1965 and he was given command of 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment. In December 1965, he assumed command of 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, which was the only air cavalry squadron in the Army at the time.

He returned to the U.S. and after a tour at the Pentagon, returned for his third tour of duty in Vietnam as Chief of Staff for the 1st Cavalry Division. In 1969 he became Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division.

After the war, Shoemaker served as Commander, 1st Cavalry Division and Commander, III Corps. In 1977, Shoemaker was assigned as Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Forces Command, and a year later was promoted to General and became commander of FORSCOM.

Awards and decorations
Combat Infantryman Badge (2nd award)
Army Master Aviator Badge
Senior Parachutist Badge
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star Medal
Air Medal with bronze award numerals 45
 Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Valorous Unit Award
Army Meritorious Unit Commendation
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
 National Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
 Korean Service Medal with one bronze service star
 Vietnam Service Medal with seven service stars
Vietnam Army Distinguished Service Order, 1st class
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm
Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, 1st class
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
United Nations Korea Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal

Later life

Shoemaker retired from the Army in 1982 to the Fort Hood area, and remained active in community service. He served eight years as the elected Bell County Commissioner. He also backed a campaign that resulted in the establishment of Texas A&M University-Central Texas near Fort Hood. Some of his other civic activities include President and advisor to the President of the 1st Cavalry Division Association, President of the Heart of Texas Council of the Boy Scouts, and as President of the Fort Hood Chapter of the United Way.

Shoemaker was inducted in the U.S. Army Operational Testers' Hall of Fame in 2002, and in 2004, he was awarded the Distinguished Graduate Award by the Association of Graduates, the U.S. Military Academy alumni association. He was also inducted as a member of the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983.[3]

He died on June 21, 2017 at a hospital in Harker Heights, Texas at the age of 93.[4]

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See also

He established the high school, named after him, in Killeen, Texas.

Notes
  1. United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Military Construction Appropriations (1976). Military construction appropriations for 1977: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-fourth Congress, second session. U.S. Govt. Print. Off. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  2. "Robert Morin Shoemaker". The Killeen Daily Herald. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  3. Army Aviation Hall of Fame entry
  4. Adams, Stephen (June 22, 2017). "Retired General Robert Shoemaker dies at 93". KCEN. Retrieved 22 June 2017.

References
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