Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

The "G.I.'s General", as General of the Army Omar Bradley was called by the troops, was a leader with a special touch and sincere compassion for them and their welfare. Graduating from West Point in 1915 he was destined to become the most successful of the many generals from this "class the stars fell on". Spending the years between World Wars in a series of command and staff assignments, he matured as a leader honing his craft as a tactician. General George C. Marshall listed Bradley as one he would choose to lead the Army in the event of crisis. From Tunisia to Sicily, from the Normandy Invasion to V-E Day, from his postwar duties as Director of the Veterans Administration where he executed the G.I. Bill, to Chief of the Army, to his appointment as the Nation's first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Omar Bradley showed remarkable qualities General Marshall had seen in him many years before. Before the end of World War II General Bradley became the Commander of the Twelfth Army group, the largest Army ever assembled.

As our Nation's first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Bradley led the efforts to institutionalize jointness among the four Military Services efforts that paid great dividends. When he oversaw mobilization of America's military and led our Armed Forces through the Korean War.

General Bradley was sworn in by President Truman as General of the Army on September 22, 1950.

Through all the years of service, what distinguished this remarkable officer was his love of soldiers and soldiering. His masterful direction of the American advance across France and Germany earned General Bradley a place among the great military leaders of all time.

At this time, in the year 1997, the last five star general this nation has had.

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