Alexander Russell Bolling | |
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Lieutenant General Alexander R. Bolling
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Nickname(s) | Beet |
Born |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
August 28, 1895
Died | June 4, 1964 Satellite Beach, Florida |
(aged 68)
Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1917–55 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Commands held |
84th Infantry Division Third Army |
Battles/wars | |
Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal Purple Heart |
Alexander Russell Bolling was a general in the United States Army during World War II and the Cold War.
He was a student at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis from 1915 to 1916, but he left the USNA and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was sent to France during World War I, where he earned a battlefield commission. After World War I, he was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas where he chased Mexican Bandit Pancho Villa along with fellow Lieutenants Dwight Eisenhower, George S. Patton, and Douglas MacArthur. He was promoted to the rank of Captain, which he held for 12 years.
While in command of a company of the 4th Infantry, 3rd Division, in the Boise-des-Nesles, on the night of July 14, 1918, Second Lieutenant Bolling earned the Distinguished Service Cross by "continually exposing himself to heavy gas and shell fire by going from one platoon to another."
Bolling commanded the 84th Infantry Division in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. After the war, Bolling was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1952 and assumed command of the Third U.S. Army.
Bolling's awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal with Cluster, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.