Global InformationOmar Bradley information
Omar Bradley | |
|---|---|
 Bradley c. 1950 | |
| 1st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | |
| In office August 19, 1949 – August 15, 1953 | |
| President | Harry Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | William D. Leahy (as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief) |
| Succeeded by | Arthur W. Radford |
| Chief of Staff of the Army | |
| In office February 7, 1948 – August 15, 1949 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Succeeded by | J. Lawton Collins |
| Chair of the NATO Military Committee | |
| In office October 5, 1949 – April 2, 1951 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Etienne Baele |
| Administrator of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office August 15, 1945 – November 30, 1947 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Frank T. Hines |
| Succeeded by | Carl R. Gray Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Omar Nelson Bradley February 12, 1893 Clark, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | April 8, 1981 (aged 88) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) |
| Signature |  |
| Nickname(s) | Brad The G.I.'s General |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1911–1981[1] |
| Rank | General of the Army  |
| Unit | Infantry Branch |
| Commands | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chief of Staff of the Army 12th Army Group First Army II Corps 28th Infantry Division 82nd Infantry Division United States Army Infantry School 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | See battles
|
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal (4) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal Presidential Medal of Freedom Complete list |
| ASN | 0-3807 |
Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. He was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and oversaw the U.S. military's policy-making in the Korean War.
Born in Randolph County, Missouri, he worked as a boilermaker before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from the academy in 1915 alongside Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of "the class the stars fell on." During World War I, he guarded copper mines in Montana. After the war, he taught at West Point and served in other roles before taking a position at the War Department under General George Marshall. In 1941, he became commander of the United States Army Infantry School.
After the U.S. entrance into World War II, he oversaw the transformation of the 82nd Infantry Division into the first American airborne division. He received his first front-line command in Operation Torch, serving under General George S. Patton in North Africa. After Patton was reassigned, Bradley commanded II Corps in the Tunisia Campaign and the Allied invasion of Sicily. He commanded the First United States Army during the Invasion of Normandy. After the breakout from Normandy, he took command of the Twelfth United States Army Group, which ultimately comprised forty-three divisions and 1.3 million men, the largest body of American soldiers ever to serve under a single field commander.
After the war, Bradley headed the Veterans Administration. He was appointed as Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1948 and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1949. In 1950, he was promoted to the rank of General of the Army, becoming the last of the nine individuals promoted to five-star rank in the United States Armed Forces. He was the senior military commander at the start of the Korean War, and supported President Harry S. Truman's wartime policy of containment. He was instrumental in persuading Truman to dismiss General Douglas MacArthur in 1951 after MacArthur resisted administration attempts to scale back the war's strategic objectives. Bradley left active duty in 1953 (although remaining on "active retirement" for the next 27 years). He continued to serve in public and business roles until his death in 1981 at age 88.[1]
- ^ a b U.S. officers holding five-star rank never officially retire, even after no longer serving actively; they draw full active duty pay for life. Spencer C. Tucker (2011). "Appendix B: Military Ranks". The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. 1685. ISBN 978-1-85109-961-0.