Philip De Witt Ginder
Philip De Witt Ginder | |
---|---|
DeWitt Ginder as a Colonel at the end of the World War II. | |
Born |
Plainfield, New Jersey | September 19, 1905
Died |
November 7, 1968 63) Danbury, Connecticut | (aged
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1927–1963 |
Rank | Major General |
Service number | 0-16904 |
Commands held |
United States Army North 45th Infantry Division |
Wars |
World War II Korean War Cold War |
Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star |
Relations | Jean Dalrymple (Wife) |
Philip De Witt Ginder (September 19, 1905 - November 7, 1968) was an American career, highly decorated soldier who rose to the rank of Major General during the Korean War, while commanding 45th Infantry "Thunderbird" Division. He was also a recicipent of the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military award that can be given to a member of the United States Army for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.
Biography
He was born on September 19, 1905 in Plainfield, New Jersey as the son of Grant Ginder. Ginder attended the United States Military Academy and graduated in summer 1927.[1]
During World War II, Ginder was among the first ashore during the Normandy Landings on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Subsequently, he was appointed a Commanding officer 121st Infantry Regiment, within 8th Infantry Division. He was in command of his regiment which captured the German town of Hürtgen as part of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.[2][3] It was for this action that he received the Distinguished Service Cross for actions on November 28, 1944, when then-Colonel Ginder led his reserve company in an attack against the heavily defended town of Hürtgen, armed only with his pistol and a hand grenade, and led his troops through the town in bitter house-to-house fighting.[2][4]
He was appointed the commanding officer of the 9th Infantry Regiment in the spring of the 1945. Ginder commanded the regiment until the end of the war, liberating the west of the Czechoslovakia, ending in the town of Rokycany near Pilsen.[3]
Following the end of the war, from 1946 to 1949, Ginder attended the National War College in Washington.[3] He also served in the Far East on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur.[2]
Before retiring from the Army with the rank of Major General in 1963, Ginder would command the 6th Infantry Regiment (United States), Berlin (1951 through 1952), the 45th Infantry Division (United States), Korea (1953), the 37th Infantry Division (United States), Fort Riley (1954) and serve as Commander General of the Fifth United States Army in 1955.[3] He went to Korea as a Colonel, and was awarded the two-star rank of Major General in less than two years of service there, making him the youngest American general to command a combat division in Korea.[2] His service in Korea included nearly 18 months spent north of the 38th parallel.[2]
Ginder was married to Jean Dalrymple, the head of the City Center Drama and Light Opera Companies, whom he met in 1951 while she organized United States participation at the Berlin Arts Festival on behalf of the United States Department of State. The couple had an apartment at 150 West 55th Street and in Danbury, Connecticut.[2]
Ginder died at age 63 on November 7, 1968 in Trafalgar Hospital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.[2]
Decorations
Here is the ribbon bar of Major general Philip De Witt Ginder:[5][6]
Combat Infantryman Badge | |||||||||||||||||||
1st Row | Distinguished Service Cross | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd Row | Army Distinguished Service Medal | Silver Star | Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster | Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters | |||||||||||||||
3rd Row | Purple Heart | American Defense Service Medal | American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four service stars and Arrowhead device | |||||||||||||||
4th Row | World War II Victory Medal | Army of Occupation Medal | National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster | Korean Service Medal with two service stars | |||||||||||||||
5th Row | French Legion of Honour, Grade Officer | French Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 with Palm | Czechoslovakian Order of the White Lion, 2nd Class | Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945 | |||||||||||||||
6th Row | Philippine Legion of Honor | Korean Order of Military Merit, 3rd Class | Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class | United Nations Korea Medal | |||||||||||||||
Presidential Unit Citation | Korean Presidential Unit Citation | ||||||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ United States Military Academy. The Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point: 2004. Connecticut. Elm Press. 2004. pg. 2:49
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Staff. "Gen. Philip Ginder Dead at 63; Division Leader in Korean War", The New York Times, November 8, 1968. Accessed January 13, 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 GINDER, PHILIP DE WITT: Papers, 1927-1968, Eisenhower Presidential Center, dated July 12, 1973. Accessed January 13, 2009.
- ↑ Full Text Citations For Award of The Distinguished Service Cross:U.S. Army Recipients - WWII letter G, HomeOfHeroes.com. Accessed January 13, 2009.
- ↑ "Hall of Valor". militarytimes.com. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- ↑ "apps.westpointaog.org". Retrieved 9 October 2014.
External links
- Papers of Phillip De Witt Ginder, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Philip De Witt Ginder at Find a Grave