Reuben Henry Tucker III
| Reuben Henry Tucker III | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | "Rube" |
| Born | 29 January 1911 Ansonia, Connecticut, United States |
| Died | 6 January 1970 (aged 58) Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1935–1963 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Unit |
 Infantry Branch
|
| Commands held | 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross (2) Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Silver Star Bronze Star Purple Heart Commendation Medal Combat Infantryman Badge Parachutist Badge Presidential Unit Citation Military William Order |
| Other work | Commandant of Cadets, The Citadel |
Major General Reuben Henry Tucker III (January 29, 1911 – 6 January 1970) was a highly decorated senior United States Army officer. He served with distinction during World War II, where he commanded the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (504th PIR), leading it in action in Sicily, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Germany, from 1942–1945. He was one of the youngest regimental commanders of the war.
Charleston (in what was then the Province of Carolina), where he was to die, had been settled from Bermuda under William Sayle in 1670, and many Bermudian families long remained prominent there, Notable among these was the Atlantic archipelago's Tucker family, which included Thomas Tudor Tucker and several notable Henry Tuckers. Reuben Henry Tucker III's paternal line, however, actually traces back to Robert Tucker, born in 1604 in Gravesend, Kent, England, who died in Milton, Norfolk, Massachusetts in 1682.
Reuben Henry Tucker III was born in 1911 to Reuben Henry Tucker, Jr. and his wife, Clare (born Booth). He was active in sports and Boy Scouts in his youth, proving his bravery and resourcefulness at 13, pulling his drowning younger brother and a friend from a freezing mill pond. For this, he received a local award for heroism from the Scouts. While the boys in his high school social fraternity would nickname him "Duke" for his good looks and fastidious dress, and his family would call him "Tommy", he would be known by many as simply "Rube".
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