Frederick Kroesen
Frederick Kroesen Jr. | |
---|---|
Army Distinguished Service Medal with "V" (3)Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal | |
Other work | Chairman, Military Professional Resources Inc |
Frederick James Kroesen Jr. (February 11, 1923 – April 30, 2020) was a
Early life
Kroesen was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey,[1][2] the son of Jean (Shillinger) and Frederick Kroesen, who worked for the New Jersey state government. [3] His paternal ancestor, Garret Dircksen Kroesen (1638-1680) arrived in America (New Netherland) from the Netherlands around 1661. Kroesen moved to the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey as a child and he attended Trenton Central High School.[4] A 1944 graduate of Rutgers University, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. He earned Bachelor of Arts (1962) and Master of Arts (1966) degrees in International Affairs at George Washington University. In addition, he was also a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity to which his membership traces back to his days at Rutgers University.
Military career
World War II
In 1944 Kroesen was commissioned through the Infantry Officer Candidate School at
Korean War
During the
Vietnam War
Kroesen was the commander of the
Post-Vietnam
After returning from Vietnam, Kroesen served as Deputy Commander, XXIV Corps (1972), Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division (1972–1974), Deputy Commanding General, V Corps (1974–1975) and Commanding General, VII Corps (1975–1976).
In 1976 Kroesen was promoted to the rank of four star general (O-10), becoming the first
Red Army Faction attack
From 1979 to 1983 Kroesen served as commander of
Kroesen was injured in
Later life
After retiring from the army in 1983, Kroesen became a businessman.[10] He was chairman of the board of Military Professional Resources Inc. (incorporated in 1987) and a senior fellow at the Institute of Land Warfare of the Association of the United States Army. He was a Vice-President of the American Security Council Foundation. General Kroesen was a Compatriot of the George Washington Chapter of the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution based on the service of his ancestor, Johannes Kroesen, who served as a second lieutenant in the Bucks County Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War.[11][12]
Kroesen died in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 30, 2020, at the age of 97 after a long illness.[3][13] He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Military education
- Infantry Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Ga, 1944
- Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 1956
- Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA, 1959
- United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA, 1962[14]
Senior assignments
- Commanding Officer, 196th Light Infantry Brigade (1968–1969)
- Adviser to the Assistant Chief of Staff (J3), Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (1969–1970)
- Assistant Chief of Staff (J3), Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (1970–1971)
- Commanding General, 23rd Infantry Division(1971)
- Commanding General, First Regional Assistance Command (1971–1972)
- Deputy Commander, XXIV Corps (1972)
- Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division (1972–1974)
- Deputy Commanding General, V Corps (1974–1975)
- Commanding General, VII Corps (1975–1976)
- Commanding General, United States Army Forces Command (1976–1978)
- Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1978–1979)
- Commanding General, NATO Central Army Group (1979–1983)[14]
Awards and decorations
Combat Infantryman Badge, third award | |
Master Parachutist Badge | |
Silver German Parachutist Badge
| |
Army Staff Identification Badge | |
Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
|
Defense Distinguished Service Medal | |
Army Distinguished Service Medal | |
Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster | |
Legion of Merit, with two oak leaf clusters | |
Distinguished Flying Cross | |
v device & two oak leaf clusters
| |
award numeral 29
| |
Army Commendation Medal , with two oak leaf clusters
| |
Purple Heart, with one oak leaf cluster | |
Army Presidential Unit Citation , with two oak leaf clusters
| |
Army Good Conduct Medal
| |
American Campaign Medal | |
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, with three service stars
| |
World War II Victory Medal
| |
Army of Occupation Medal | |
National Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster | |
Korean Service Medal, with one service star | |
Vietnam Service Medal, with eight service stars | |
Army Service Ribbon | |
Army Overseas Service Ribbon, with award numeral 3 | |
French Legion of Honour (Officer) | |
National Order of Vietnam (Officer) | |
National Order of Vietnam (Knight) | |
Vietnam Military Merit Medal
| |
Vietnam Army Distinguished Service Order, 1st Class | |
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm (four awards)
| |
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Knight Commander's Cross) | |
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
| |
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
| |
United Nations Korea Medal
| |
Vietnam Campaign Medal | |
Korean War Service Medal |
Other honors
- Association of the United States Army Abrams Award, 2005
- West Point Association of Graduates Sylvanus Thayer Award, 2007
- American Veterans Center Audie Murphy Award, 2013
- Sons of the American Revolution Gold Good Citizenship Medal, 2013
- Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army, 2017[15]
- Namesake of the American Security Council Foundation General Frederick Kroesen Leadership Award
- Chairman Emeritus of the board of MPRI[14]
- Life Member Emeritus, United States Army Officer Candidate School Alumni Association
Works
- General Thoughts: Seventy Years with the Army. Publisher: Institute of Land Warfare, Association of the United States Army, 2003
References
- ^ Former Vice Chief Gen. Frederick Kroesen Dies
- ISBN 1-56311-364-3. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ a b Goldstein, Richard (May 6, 2020). "Gen. Frederick Kroesen, 97, Dies; Survived a Terrorist Attack". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Piehler, Kurt; and Marley, Lynn. Kroesen, Frederick, Rutgers University Oral History Archives, March 16, 1998. Accessed May 4, 2020. "When I was ten-years-old, we moved to Eggerts Road in, what is now, Lawrenceville.... I was in Trenton Central High School, as a senior, and she came as a sophomore that year. We only had three grades in Trenton High, in those days."
- ^ p. 546
- ^ photo of the car
- ^ Stars and Stripes Published: August 5, 2005
- ISBN 0-313-28112-2. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "World IN BRIEF : GERMANY : Ex-Security Chief Accused in Attack", Los Angeles Times, March 27, 1991.
- ^ "Center for Military Readiness". Archived from the original on 2007-02-03. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
- ^ "www.gwsar.org". Archived from the original on 2018-01-07. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
- ^ Association of the United States Army details Kroesen's association with SAR
- ^ Association of the United States Army announces death of GEN Kroesen
- ^ a b c General Kroesen bio Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ GEN Kroesen named honorary SMA