Ben Sternberg

Ben Sternberg
Ben Sternberg
Born	28 February 1914; Starke, Florida, United States
Died	2 January 2004 (aged 89); Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii, United States
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1930–1934, 1938–1971
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-21286
Unit	Infantry Branch
Commands	25th Infantry Division; 101st Airborne Division; 5th Regimental Combat Team; 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment
Battles / wars	World War II; Vietnam War
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross; Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star Medal; Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal (3)

Major General Ben Sternberg (28 February 1914 – 2 January 2004) was a United States Army officer who served in World War II and the Vietnam War.

Early life

Sternberg was born in Starke, Florida on 28 February 1914. He enlisted in the Florida National Guard on 2 July 1930 and attended the Marion Military Institute.^[1]^[2]

Military career

Sternberg enlisted in the Regular Army on 2 July 1933 and was subsequently appointed to the United States Military Academy. He graduated from West Point with a B.S. degree on 14 June 1938 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry.^[1]

In March 1943 as a lieutenant colonel he commanded the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division in combat at the Battle of El Guettar, Tunisia. For his actions he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. During the Allied invasion of Sicily he led the 2/18th Infantry when it captured Ponte Olivo Airfield.^[3]

After the war, Sternberg graduated from the Command and General Staff College in 1948 and the Army War College in 1953.^[1] From 1948 to 1951, he taught tactics at West Point. From 1953 to 1954, Sternberg was deployed to Korea, commanding the 5th Regimental Combat Team and serving at the 8th Army headquarters.^[4]

From January 1964 to March 1996 he served as a J-1 Manpower and Personnel Directorate, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam.^[5] He was promoted to Major general on 1 February 1965.

From March 1966 to July 1967 he commanded the 101st Airborne Division. The Associated Press on 9 June 1966 reported him saying that the U.S. would need 500,000 more troops to seal off the borders of South Vietnam from infiltration, that Premier Nguyễn Cao Kỳ would probably have to step aside given the repercussions of the Buddhist Uprising and that a U.S. defeat in Vietnam was a possibility.^[6] On 23 July 1966 he escorted President Lyndon B. Johnson on an inspection of the division.^[7]

In 1971 he commanded the 25th Infantry Division.

His final assignment was as commanding general U.S. Army, Hawaii.

Later life

He retired from the U.S. Army in Hawaii. He died on 2 January 2004 at Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Decorations

His decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit and three awards of the Bronze Star Medal.^[1]^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Official Army Register: United States Army Active and Retired Lists. Vol. I. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1 January 1955. p. 774. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
^ "Ben Sternberg '38". Taps: A Supplement to Assembly Magazine. Vol. LXVI, no. 1. September–October 2007. p. 6. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
^ Garland, Albert; Smyth, Howard (1993). United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations Sicily and the Surrender of Italy. United States Army Center of Military History. p. 185. ISBN 9781508422389.
^ "Class of 1938—Register of Graduates". Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802–1971 of the United States Military Academy. The West Point Alumni Foundation Inc. 1971. p. 469. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
^ Morden, Bettie J. (2000). The Women's Army Corps, 1945–1978. United States Army Center of Military History. pp. 241–2. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ "500,000 more troops needed in Vietnam, U.S. general says". The New York Times. 10 June 1966. p. 3.
^ "LBJ daily diary 23 July 1966" (PDF). LBJ Library. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
^ "Ben Sternberg". Military Times. Sightline Media Group. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

[register-1] Official Army Register: United States Army Active and Retired Lists. Vol. I. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1 January 1955. p. 774. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

[2] "Ben Sternberg '38". Taps: A Supplement to Assembly Magazine. Vol. LXVI, no. 1. September–October 2007. p. 6. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

[3] Garland, Albert; Smyth, Howard (1993). United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations Sicily and the Surrender of Italy. United States Army Center of Military History. p. 185. ISBN 9781508422389.

[4] "Class of 1938—Register of Graduates". Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802–1971 of the United States Military Academy. The West Point Alumni Foundation Inc. 1971. p. 469. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

[5] Morden, Bettie J. (2000). The Women's Army Corps, 1945–1978. United States Army Center of Military History. pp. 241–2. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[6] "500,000 more troops needed in Vietnam, U.S. general says". The New York Times. 10 June 1966. p. 3.

[7] "LBJ daily diary 23 July 1966" (PDF). LBJ Library. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 4 August 2021.

[8] "Ben Sternberg". Military Times. Sightline Media Group. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

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