Orlando Ward

Born in Macon, Missouri, on November 4, 1891, Orlando Ward, at the age of seventeen, entered the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, in March 1909, graduating five years later (after being held back due to problems with the French curriculum) 86 in a class of 107 on June 12, 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I in Europe, as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry Branch of the United States Army. Fellow graduates included men such as William H. Holcombe, James B. Cress, Charles B. Gross, Brehon B. Somervell, Robert W. Crawford, Dabney O. Elliott, Arthur R. Harris, LaRhett L. Stuart, John B. Anderson, Harry C. Ingles, James L. Bradley, John H. Woodberry, Harold F. Loomis, Carl Spaatz, Harold R. Bull, Charles M. Milliken, Joseph W. Byron, Paul C. Paschal, Francis R. Kerr, Vicente Lim, Sylvester D. Downs Jr., Benjamin G. Weir, Ralph Royce, William O. Ryan, Frank W. Milburn, John B. Thompson and Jens A. Doe. All of them would later rise to the rank of brigadier general or higher in their later military careers. Ward's first assignment after graduation was as a commander of black cavalry troops, serving with 'E' Troop of the 9th Cavalry Regiment on border patrol in the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico. He later was part of Brigadier General John J. Pershing's forces chasing Pancho Villa into Mexico in 1916. He was awarded the Mexican Service Medal for serving in the Pancho Villa Expedition. Recognizing that the horse had a limited future, Ward became interested in artillery and transferred to the Field Artillery Branch and was sent to join the 10th Field Artillery Regiment at Camp Douglas, Arizona. He continued to serve on the Western Front until the war ended with the Armistice with Germany on November 11, 1918. By that time he was attending the Command and General Staff School at Langres, from where he graduated in January 1919. ==Between the wars==

During the quiet interwar period, he continued to serve in the field artillery, but was assigned posts like ROTC instructor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (where Charles Lindbergh was one of his students). Eventually, he became an instructor at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he and others developed key forward observer procedures that made the U.S. Army's artillery effective in the upcoming war. He attended the United States Army War College from August 1935 until June 1936. While he was there he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on November 25, 1935. Shortly after his graduation, he assumed command of the 1st Battalion, 83rd Field Artillery Regiment, which he commanded for over eighteen months until being assigned to the War Department, where he served as a staff officer in a variety of roles for the next few years. ==World War II==

Ward was Secretary to General George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, from July 1939 to August 1941, a critical time of building up in preparation for the American entry into World War II. Ward assisted Marshall in finding the resources to build the military while political forces were fighting to keep the United States out of the war and to help Britain. He worked closely there with Walter Bedell Smith and Omar Bradley. The tanks were so badly mired that the advancing Germans themselves could not extricate them. It was a crippling loss. In its brief experience in action, CCB had lost 32 medium and 46 light tanks. The combat vehicles that remained were in poor condition after their long overland journey to the front lines. Elements of the 1st Armored Division at Faïd fell victim to one of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel's familiar tactics when they pursued German tanks feigning retirement into a screen of 88 mm high-velocity German anti-tank guns, resulting in large American armor losses. After the rout at Kasserine, Patton at first counseled, then admonished Ward of the need for personal leadership of his division in order to keep German forces under pressure. Impatient with the progress of the 1st Armored Division, Patton took the unusual step of ordering Ward to personally lead a night assault on the Maknassy Heights, a series of stubbornly defended knolls in front of the 1st Armored Division's lines. Ward obeyed the order, and the attack was initially successful. By April 1, 1943 the American offensive that had begun at El Guettar had bogged down against stiffened Axis defenses. With the concurrence of British General Sir Harold R. L. G. Alexander, commander of the 18th Army Group (which controlled all Allied forces in North Africa), Patton finally relieved Ward of duty. Recent scholarship suggests that political factors may also have played a significant part in Ward's relief. "Ward’s dismissal covered up Alexander’s incoherent plans for the American commitment to North Africa; in its wake, Patton’s failure to punch through the German line and prove American superiority was assuaged as well. Ike kept the upper-level alliance intact (if not healthy) by sacrificing the position of a lower-level subordinate." Ward was replaced with Major General Ernest N. Harmon, the former commander of the 2nd Armored Division who had successfully intervened to remedy Fredendall's inaction during the battles of Kasserine Pass. Major General Ward was the only general relieved of his command by Patton during World War II. Later World War II service Returning to the United States, Ward was briefly commander of the U.S. Army Tank Destroyer School (Tank Destroyer Tactical and Firing Center) at Camp Hood, Texas before becoming Commandant of the United States Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he had served as an instructor before the war. In September 1944 he assumed command of the 20th Armored Division from Major General Roderick R. Allen. In February 1945 the division was sent overseas to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) to serve on the Western Front where it fought briefly in the Allied invasion of Germany, and assisting other divisions in the capture of the German city of Munich. The end of World War II in Europe came soon afterwards, on May 8, 1945, known now as Victory in Europe Day. Ward relinquished command of the division in August to Major General John W. Leonard. For his services in World War II, Ward was twice awarded the Legion of Merit, along with the Silver Star and the Purple Heart, the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the DSC. ==Postwar==

After the war, Ward briefly commanded V Corps between June and November 1946. Ward then had two major assignments, first as commander of the 6th Infantry Division (October 1946 to January 1949), in Korea (prior to the war there). He then served as Chief of Military History, where he oversaw the production of the famous "Green Books," the official U.S. Army history of World War II. Major General Ward retired from the army in January 1953, after over 38 years of service as a commissioned officer. He returned to Denver, Colorado, where he remained until his death, aged 80, on February 4, 1972. ==Decorations==

Major General Ward's decorations included the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, the Mexican Border Service Medal, World War I Victory Medal with four campaign stars, Army of Occupation of Germany Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four campaign stars, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. ==Promotions==