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Generals who rose from the ranks of the 14th Infantry |
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Generals who rose from the ranks of the 14th Infantry |
Brigadier General Thomas F. Bresnahan
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Born 4 July 1892 at Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, |
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APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS
Second Lieutenant, Infantry, Officer's Reserve Corps 10 Aug 1917
Second Lieutenant, Infantry, National Army (Provisional) 26 Oct 1917-
First Lieutenant, Infantry, (Temporary) 27 Jun 1918
Captain, Infantry, United States Army 14 Aug 1918
First Lieutenant, Infantry, National Army (Provisional) 26 Sep 1919
Honorably discharged as Captain, United States Army only, 30 Jun 1920
Captain, Infantry, Regular Army 1 Jul 1920
Major, Infantry, Regular Army 23 Aug 1935
Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry, Army of the United States 30 Aug 1940
Colonel, Infantry, Army of the United States 31 Dec 1941
Brigadier General, Army of the United States 28 Sep 1943
Appointment as Brigadier General, Army of the United States terminated 31 Mar 1948
Retired in the Grade of Colonel, United States Army, 31 Mar 1948
Advanced to the Grade of Brigadier General, United States Army
Retired List 16 Aug 1948 29 Jun 1948
CIVILIAN AND MILITARY EDUCATION
Middlebury College, Vermont, BS Degree
Infantry School, Officers' Course, 1924
Command and General Staff School, Regular Course, 1937
ASSIGNMENTS FROM TO
Platoon Commander, 38th Infantry, Syracuse, New York later Camp Greene, North Carolina Aug 1917 Dec 1917
Commanding Officer, Signal Platoon, later Signal Officer, 38th Infantry, Camp Greene, North Carolina, later American Expeditionary Forces, France Dec 1917 Aug 1918
Intelligence Officer, later Commanding Officer, Company L, 38th Infantry, American Expeditionary Forces, France Sep 1918 Dec 1919
Plans and Training Officer, later Regimental Intelligence Officer (Patient, US General Hospital #41, Fox Hills, Long Island, New York Jan 1920 to June 1920), 24th Infantry, Columbus, New Mexico later Camp Furlong, New Mexico Jan 1920 Sep 1922
Regimental Intelligence Officer, later Commanding Officer, Company B, 24th Infantry, Fort Benning, Georgia Oct 1922 Sep 1923
Student, The Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia Oct 1923 May 1924
Assistant Commanding Officer, Company E, later Administration and Supply Officer and later Platoon Commander, 34th Infantry, Camp Meade., Maryland Jun 1924 Aug 1924
Instructor, Rifle-Marksmanship, Reserve Officer's Training Corps, Camp Perry, Ohio Aug 1924 Sep 1924
Assistant Professor of Military Science and Tactics, Pennsylvania State College, Pennsylvania, (Instructor, Reserve Officer's Training Corps, Camp Meade, Maryland Jun 1925 to Jul 1925; Jun 1926 to Jul 1926; Jun 1927 to Jul 1927), (Assistant Adjutant, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri Jun 1928 to Jul 1928) Oct 1924 Jun 1929
Commanding Officer, Company L, later Plans and Training Officer, 26th Infantry, Plattsburg Barracks, New York Aug 1929 Dec 1931
Company Commander later Post Adjutant, 14th Infantry, Fort Davis, Canal Zone Dec 1931 Jun 1936
Chief, Distribution Section, Camp Perry, Ohio Aug 1936 Sept 1936
Instructor, 181st Infantry, 52d Brigade, Boston, Massachusetts later Worcester, Massachusetts Oct 1936 Aug 1937
Student, Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Aug 1937 Jun 1938
Assistant later Instructor, Massachusetts National Guard, 181st Infantry, 52d Brigade (Assistant Chief Statistical Officer, Camp Perry, Ohio Aug 1938 to Sep 1938) Worcester, Massachusetts Aug 1938 Jun 1940
Assistant Chief,. Training Division later Organization and Training Division, National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C. Jul 1940 Jul 194
Commandant, The Army War College, Washington, D.C. Jul 1941 Feb 1943
Executive Officer later Commanding Officer, and later Commanding General, 9th Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment Special Troops, Camp Maxey, Texas Feb 1943 Mar 1944
Commanding General, Infantry Replacement Training Center, Camp Hood, Apr 1944 Jun 1945 Texas
Commanding General, Army Ground Force Replacement Depot No 1, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, Jul 1945 Sep 1945
Commanding General, Oise Intermediate Section, Theater Service Forces, European Theater Nov 1945 Dec 1945
Commanding General, Continental Base Section, United States Forces, European Theater Jan 1946 Mar 1947
Commanding General, Bremerhaven Port of Embarkation (Deputy Director, Service Support and Procurement Division,16 Mar 1947 to 30 Jun 1947) European Command Mar 1947 Mar 1948
DECORATIONS AND AWARDS
Distinguished Service Cross
Legion of Merit
Purple Heart (with Oak Leaf Cluster)
American Defense Medal
American Campaign Medal
World War I Victory Medal with five bronze Battle Clasps for participation in the Aisne, Champagne Marne, Aisne Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse Argonne Battle and the Defensive Sector Battle Clasp
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal w/Germany Clasp
FOREIGN:
Polish: Order of Polonia Restituta III Class
Tunisia: Order of Nichan-Iftikhar, Rank of Commandeur
French: Croix de-Guerre with Gilt Star
ACTIVE SERVICE: Commissioned 15 Aug 1917 to 31 Mar 1948
From "The Middlebury Campus" newspaper, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, Wednesday, March 12, 1919:
BRESNAHAN AGAIN CITED FOR BRAVERY
Capt. Bresnahan Awarded D.S.C. by General Perhsing
Oganized Detachment and Put German Patrol to Route
Word has just been received that Captain Thomas F. Bresnahan of the class of 1917 has been cited for extraordinary heroism in action.
The comment accompanying the official citation of Captain Bresnahan states that, July 15, 1918, "while acting as battalion signal officer Lieutenant (promoted to a captaincy September 10) organized a detachment of orderlies, runners, and casuals, and attacked a German patrol, which was completely routed."
"Tommy" left college in his senior year to go to Plattsburg with the first quota of men sent there for training as officers and was given a commission as first lieutenant. He was assigned to the military camp at Syracuse and was later attached to the 38th Infantry and went to France. His war record has been an especially honorable one and he has frequently won special commendation from his superior officers. He was wounded in the head in July of last year but soon recovered and immediately returned to duty.
It was in a battle near Mezy that Captain Bresnahan won his distinction.
While at college "Tommy" was one of the best athletes Middlebury has ever had. He was a three letter man being a member of the football, baseball and track teams for four years.
Our thanks to MG Richard Bresnahan for providing us with this additional material.
NOTE: In 1935-36, Captain Thomas F. Bresnahan was a 14th Infantry Company Commander, and as Major, was the 14th Regimental Adjutant in Panama.
During WWII, I saw his name in "The Stars & Stripes" as being a BG and Commanding General of one of the base sections in France. I believe it was the Oise Base Section. Lester Cundiff, Col. AUS, (Ret.)
Thanks to Terry Bender, 1/14th Inf, for collecting and making this information available and for his dedicated efforts to preserve the history of the 14th Infantry Regiment.
Acknowledgements:
Generals who rose from the ranks of the 14th Infantry: Brigadier General Thomas F. Bresnahan
Copyright © 2013 14th Infantry Regiment Association
Last modified: January 20, 2013
