George Grunert

George Grunert
Lieutenant General George Grunert, Deputy Commander and Commander, First United States Army and Eastern Defense Command
Born	(1881-07-21)July 21, 1881 White Haven, Pennsylvania
Died	January 12, 1971(1971-01-12) (aged 89) San Antonio, Texas
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1898–1945
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	10th Cavalry Regiment 26th Cavalry Regiment 23rd Brigade Philippine Department Sixth Service Corps Area First United States Army Second Service Corps Area Eastern Defense Command
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War World War I World War II
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Purple Heart

George Grunert was a United States Army cavalry officer who worked his way up through the ranks from private to retirement as a Lieutenant General. His 47-year career extended from the Spanish–American War to the end of World War II.

Grunert, born of German immigrants, was a native of White Haven, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Army in 1898 during the Spanish–American War and served in the Philippines, Cuba and western posts in his early career. As a quartermaster sergeant in an artillery unit at Fort Monroe, Virginia he obtained a commission at second lieutenant in the cavalry in 1901. By 1908 he was stationed in Cuba and at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, a cavalry post in 1910.

He was sent to France as an observer with British forces in 1917 World War I. During the American build up, he served as assistant chief of staff for I Corps and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work during the American offensives of 1918.

In 1919, he attended the Army War College then at Washington Barracks, now Fort Lesley J. McNair, in Washington, D.C. He served with the 1st Infantry Division (United States) at Camp Dix, then to Washington, D.C. to serve in the office of the Army Chief of Staff. He returned to the field as a lieutenant colonel of the 10th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Huachuca, Arizona in 1925.

After a second tour of duty in the office of the Army Chief of Staff, Grunert attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas from 1930 to 1932. In 1933, he was the director of military intelligence and espionage division course at the Army War College and in 1935, he became director of war plans division course.