Leonard Townsend Gerow | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | "Gee" |
Born | July 13, 1888 Petersburg, Virginia, United States |
Died | October 12, 1972 (aged 84) Petersburg, Virginia, United States |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1911–1950 |
Rank | General |
Unit | Infantry Branch |
Commands held |
29th Infantry Division V Corps Fifteenth Army United States Army Command and General Staff College Second Army |
Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
Awards |
Army Distinguished Service Medal (3) Silver Star (3) Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Air Medal |
Relations | Lee S. Gerow (brother) |
General Leonard Townsend Gerow (July 13, 1888 – October 12, 1972) was a highly decorated senior United States Army officer who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II.
Gerow was born in Petersburg, Virginia. The name Gerow is derived from the French name "Giraud". Gerow attended high school in Petersburg and then attended the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He was three times elected class president. He graduated as recipient of the "Honor Appointment" which, at the time, permitted one man in each VMI graduating class to become a Regular Army second lieutenant without further examination. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Infantry Branch of the United States Army on 29 September 1911.
Prior to World War I, Gerow served in a series of assignments as a company grade officer in the Infantry. In 1915 he won commendation for his work in the 1915 Galveston Hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas. He served in Vera Cruz in the Mexican Campaign. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 1 July 1916 and later to captain on 15 May 1917, shortly after the American entry into World War I on 6 April 1917.