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James Garesche Ord

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J. Garesche Ord
Major General J. Garesche Ord, Chairman of the Joint Brazil–U.S. Defense Commission in World War II
Nickname(s)"Sunny"
"Garry"
Born(1886-10-18)October 18, 1886
Fort Lewis,Durango, Colorado,US
DiedApril 17, 1960(1960-04-17)(aged 73)
Washington, D.C.,US
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1909–1946
RankMajor general
Service number0-2608
UnitInfantry Branch
Commands held12th Infantry Regiment
57th Infantry Regiment
28th Infantry Division
Joint Brazil-US. Defense Commission
Battles/warsPancho Villa Expedition
World War I
World War II
AwardsLegion of Merit
Order of Abdon Calderón,First Class (Ecuador)
Order of Military Merit (Brazil)(Grand Officer)
RelationsEdward Otho Cresap Ord II(Father)
Jules Garesche "Garry" Ord(Uncle)
James Thompson Ord (Uncle)
James Basevi Ord(Cousin)
Edward Otho Cresap Ord(Grandfather)

Major GeneralJames Garesche Ord(October 18, 1886 – April 17, 1960) was aUnited States Armyofficer who briefly commanded the28th Infantry Divisionand was Chairman of the Joint Brazil–U.S. Defense Commission duringWorld War II.

Early life

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J. Garesche Ord, nicknamed "Sunny" and "Garry," was born atFort LewisnearDurango, Colorado,on April 18, 1886. He was the son ofMajorEdward Otho Cresap Ord II(1858–1923) and Mary Frances (Norton) Ord.[1]

His grandfather wasMajor GeneralEdward Otho Cresap Ord(1818–1883), and his great-grandfather wasFirst LieutenantJames Ord (1789–1872).[2]

His uncle,Jules Garesche "Garry" Ord(1866–1898) was also an Army officer, and has been credited by historians with sparking the charge upSan Juan Hillduring theSpanish–American War,at which Jules Ord was killed.[3][4]

Another uncle, James Thompson Ord (1863–1905), was acaptainin the Army, and his son,Lieutenant ColonelJames Basevi Ord(1892–1938) was the cousin of James Garesche Ord.[5][6]

Start of military career

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Ord at West Point in 1909

James Garesche Ord graduated from theUnited States Military Academy(USMA) atWest Point, New York,in 1909 and received his commission as asecond lieutenantofInfantry.His classmates includedGeorge S. Patton,Robert L. Eichelberger,William Hood Simpson,Jacob L. Devers,John C. H. Lee,Horace H. Fuller,Edwin F. HardingandEdwin "Pa" Watson.

Initially assigned to the30th Infantry Regiment,his early postings includedFort DavisandFort Gibbonin Alaska, thePresidio of San Francisco,andPlattsburg Barracksin New York.[7][8][9]

Ord served atEagle PassandSan Antonio,Texas during thePancho Villa Expedition,and was then assigned as Professor of Military Science atCulver Military Academy.[9][10]

World War I

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In 1917 Ord was assigned asaide-de-camptoHunter Liggett.He served on the staff of theAmerican Expeditionary ForcesHeadquarters and the41st Division,and was assigned asprovost marshalforI Corpsbefore serving again as Liggett's Aide at the end of the war and during the post-war occupation ofGermany.[11][9]

Post-war

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After the war Ord's assignments included Assistant Plans, Operations and Training Officer (G3) forThird Army.He graduated from theCommand and General Staff Collegein 1924 and remained as an instructor. He graduated from theArmy War Collegein 1929.[12]

From 1930 to 1934 Ord served on the Supply and Logistics staff (G4) at theWar Department,and he commanded the12th Infantry Regimentfrom 1934 to 1936.[13][14] Ord was Director of the Infantry Board atFort Benningfrom 1936 to 1938. (The Infantry Board was one of several panels the Army used to consider modernization of training, tactics, weapons and vehicles in the years beforeWorld War II.)[15] From 1938 to 1940 Ord commanded the57th Infantry Regimentin thePhilippines.[16]

World War II

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In 1940 Ord was assigned as a Regular Army observer and advisor for thePennsylvania National Guard,responsible for taking steps to improve individual and collective readiness for the28th Infantry Divisionduring the train-up in advance ofWorld War II.[17]

From 1940 to 1942 he was Deputy Commander of the1st Infantry Division,receiving promotion tobrigadier general.From February to June, 1942 Ord commanded the 28th Infantry Division, capitalizing on the relationships he had developed while advising thePennsylvania National Guardin 1940. Ord commanded the division until being succeeded byOmar Bradley.[18][19][20]

Ord served as a member and later Chairman of theJoint Brazil-US. Defense Commissionfrom 1943 to 1945. The commission worked to strengthen military ties between the two countries during the war, reducing the likelihood ofAxis powersattacks on US shipping as soldiers traveled across theAtlantictoAfricaandEurope,and minimizing the influence of the Axis inSouth America.[21][22]

Awards

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Ord's Army awards and decorations included theLegion of Merit.His foreign awards includedEcuador'sOrder of Abdon Calderón,First Class, and Brazil'sOrder of Military Merit(Grand Officer) and War Medal.[23][24]

Retirement, death and burial

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Ord retired in 1946 and resided inWashington, D.C.,until his death from a heart attack atWalter Reed Army Medical Centeron April 17, 1960. He was buried atArlington National Cemetery,Section 2, Site 979 LH.[25][26]

Family

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In April 1927 Ord married Irene Helen Walsh ofMemphis, Tennessee(1900–1993). They were the parents of three children: James G. Ord, Jr. (1928–1994); Marian E. Ord (born 1930); and Edward O. C. Ord (born 1936).[27][28]

Irene Walsh Ord was a graduate ofWest Tennessee Collegeand theUniversity of Tennessee Law School,and practiced law before her marriage to Ord. In 1979 she married Brigadier General (Retired) Philip S. Gage (1885–1982), one of Ord's West Point classmates.

References

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  1. ^West Point Association of Graduates,Memorial article, James Garesche Ord,retrieved June 11, 2014
  2. ^George Washington Cullum, Edward Singleton Holden,Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy,Volume 6, Part 2, 1920, page 1436
  3. ^Frank Everson Vandiver,Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing,Volume 1, 1977, page 204
  4. ^G. J. A. O'Toole,The Spanish War: An American Epic – 1898,1986, page 318
  5. ^North & South Magazine, Incorporated,North & South: The Magazine of Civil War Conflict,Volume 8, 2005, page 393
  6. ^Bernarr Cresap,Appomattox Commander: The Story of General E.O.C. Ord,1981, page 399
  7. ^George Washington Cullum,Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy,Volume 5, 1910, page 833
  8. ^California Digital Newspaper Collection,San Francisco Call,A General Court Martial is Appointed to Meet at Fort Gibbon, Alaska,February 7, 1913
  9. ^abcGeorge Washington Cullum, Edward Singleton Holden,Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy,Volume 6, Part 2, 1920, page 1436
  10. ^Edgar Z. Steever, James L. Frink,The Cadet Manual,1918, page xxi
  11. ^Georgetown University Library, Ord Family Papers,Description, photo 79060, J. G. Ord, Aide de Camp, World War I, Germany,retrieved June 11, 2014
  12. ^Commandant, General Service Schools, Fort Leavenworth,Annual Report,1927, page 5
  13. ^George Washington Cullum, West Point Association of Graduates,Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military AcademyArchivedJuly 20, 2011, at theWayback Machine,Volume 8, Part 2, 1940, pages 218-219
  14. ^George Washington Cullum,Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy,Volume 7, 1930, page 842
  15. ^Cresap Society,The History of the Cresaps,1987, page 410
  16. ^"Colonel Ord Due in July".Harrisburg Telegraph.May 2, 1940. p. 15.RetrievedAugust 11,2022– via Newspapers.
  17. ^Michael E. Weaver,Guard Wars: The 28th Infantry Division in World War II,2010, page 67
  18. ^George Catlett Marshall, author, Larry I. Bland, Sharon Ritenour Stevens, editors,The Papers of George Catlett Marshall: July 1, 1939-December 6, 1941,1986, page 635
  19. ^Pegge Parker,'teen Topics by Pegge Parker: The Greatest Generation Reflected in Vintage Advice Columns,2008, pages 103-104
  20. ^"Major Gen. Bradley Takes Command of 28th Division: Gen. Ord Transferred From State Troops".The Mercury.Alexandria, Louisiana. AP. July 1, 1942. p. 9.RetrievedAugust 11,2022– via Newspapers.
  21. ^Stetson Conn, Byron Fairchild, Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army,The Framework of Hemisphere Defense,1960, page 319
  22. ^Dwight David Eisenhower,The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower: The War Years,1970, page 138
  23. ^Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy,Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy,1975, page 316
  24. ^George Washington Cullum, Edward Singleton Holden,Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy,Volume 9, 1950, page 133
  25. ^Potomac Corral of the Westerners,Corral Dust: Death Notice, James G. Ord,Volume 10, 1960, unknown page number
  26. ^Arlington National Cemetery,Gravesite Locator,retrieved June 11, 2014
  27. ^Army and Navy Journal, Incorporated,Army, Navy, and Air Force Journal,Volume 97, Issues 27-52, 1960, page 961
  28. ^John McGill,The Beverley family of Virginia: descendants of Major Robert Beverley, 1641-1687, and allied families,1956, page 692
[edit]
Military offices
Preceded by Commanding General 28th Infantry Division
February−June 1942 		Succeeded by
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