Bradley, Omar Nelson, 1893-1981

Five-star general of World War II.

Army officer.

Bradley, a U.S. Army General, was Administrator of Veterans Affairs for two years, and had recently taken General Eisenhower's position as Chief of Staff in the Army at the time of the letter. He was born 1893 Feb. 12 and died 1981 in Moberly, Missouri.

A career Army officer, Omar N. Bradley commanded U.S. forces in Africa and Sicily, before moving on to command the American involvement in the D-Day invasion of 1944. At the time that the letter was written, Bradley had recently been appointed to direct the Veterans Administration. In later years, he became Army Chief of Staff, the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and, eventually, a five-star general.

Omar Nelson Bradley (1893-1981) was born in Clark, Missouri. After graduating from West Point in 1915, he commissioned with the infantry. He was professor of military science and tactics at South Dakota State College from 1919 to 1920 and then instructor at West Point from 1920 to 1924. After graduating from Command and General Staff School in 1929, he taught at the Infantry School until 1933. After completing his program at the Army War College in 1934, he returned to West Point as an instructor until 1938. He served on the War Department General Staff from 1938 to 1941. He was made brigadier general in February 1941 and then became commandant of the Infantry School. One year later, he made major general and served as commander of the 82nd Infantry Division and the 28th Infantry Division. He rose to the rank of lieutenant general in June 1943. During World War II, he was also commanding general of the I Corps, the First U.S. Army Group, and 12th Army Group. He was promoted to general in March 1945. His post-war appointments included director of the Veterans Administration from 1945 to 1947 and chief of staff, U.S. Army, from 1948 to 1949. He became General of the Army in September 1950 while first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1949 to 1953. He retired from active service in August 1953. His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, four Distinguished Service Medals, Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, and the Bronze Star. In 1973, the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy awarded him with the Thayer Award.

Biographical Note

Omar Nelson Bradley was born February 12, 1893 in Clark, Missouri. As a U.S. Army senior field commander of the Twelfth Army Group, he helped ensure the Allied victory over Germany during World War II. Bradley served as the first chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1949-1953. He died April 8, 1981, in New York, N.Y.