John G. Van Houten | |
---|---|
Born | 11 March 1904 Georgia, U.S. |
Died | 23 February 1974 (aged 69) |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1926–1961 |
Rank | Major General |
Service number | 016669 |
Commands held | 60th Infantry Regiment 8th Infantry Division United States Army Military District of Washington |
Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal (2) Air Medal |
John Gibson Van Houten (1904-1974) served as a major general in the United States Army and was an important figure in the rebirth of the United States Army Rangers during the Korean War. [1] He was a commanding officer of the 60th Infantry Regiment and Chief of staff of the 9th Infantry Division in World War II. [2] [3] At the start of the Korean War, he was picked by J. Lawton Collins to create an Airborne Ranger Training Program at Fort Benning in Georgia. Towards the end of his career he served as commander of the 8th Infantry Division and as Commander of the United States Army Military District of Washington. [4]
Born in Georgia, Van Houten earned a B.S. in agriculture from the University of Georgia in 1926. He was commissioned as a reserve cavalry officer on May 31, 1926 and entered the regular army infantry on September 17, 1926. Van Houten graduated from the National War College in 1949. [5]
Van Houten retired from active duty on June 30, 1961. [6] After his death in 1974, he was interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. [7] Van Houten was posthumously inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 2006. [8]
The 3rd Infantry Division is a combined arms division of the United States Army based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. It is a direct subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and U.S. Army Forces Command. Its current organization includes a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, two armored brigade combat teams, one National Guard infantry brigade combat team, one task force battalion, one aviation brigade, a division artillery, a sustainment brigade and a combat sustainment support battalion along with a maneuver enhancement brigade. The division has a distinguished history, having seen active service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Global War on Terror. The Medal of Honor has been awarded to 61 members of the 3rd Infantry Division, making the division the most honored in the Army.
United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation of "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if they have never served in a "Ranger" unit.
Fort Benning is a United States Army post straddling the Alabama–Georgia border next to Columbus, Georgia. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees on a daily basis. It is a power projection platform, and possesses the capability to deploy combat-ready forces by air, rail, and highway. Fort Benning is the home of the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, the United States Army Armor School, United States Army Infantry School, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, and other tenant units.
The 29th Infantry Division, also known as the "Blue and Gray Division", is an infantry division of the United States Army based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It is currently a formation of the U.S. Army National Guard and contains units from Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia.
The Land Component is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard.
The 1st Ranger Battalion, currently based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is the first of three ranger battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.
Hooah is a battle cry used by Soldiers in the U.S. Army, Airmen in the U.S. Air Force, and Guardians in the U.S. Space Force. Originally spelled "Hough", the battle cry was first used by members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment during the Second Seminole War in 1841, after Seminole chief Coacoochee toasted officers of the regiment with a loud "Hough!", apparently a corruption of "How d'ye do!" Since WWII, the word has been widely used throughout the US Army and gained a more general meaning of "anything and everything except 'no'". It is comparable to Oorah which the United States Marine Corps uses. The United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard use hooyah. The phrase originated with the US Rangers and in the early Eighties was considered a trait of Ranger battalions, spreading locally through Fort Lewis, Washington and Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the three Ranger battalions at the time. By the late Eighties, it had spread through the majority of the Army's major and subordinate commands, quickly through leadership development schools and the more challenging courses such as Airborne, Air Assault, and Pathfinder. The speed with which it caught on is attributed to the rotation/Permanent Change of Station (PCS) of Rangers being reassigned from the "Bats" to one of the divisional units. On reassignment, their training could be put to use filling cadre slots as instructors or Black Hats by the divisions' G3 Training. As explained by senior instructor for Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC) at Fort Ord, California in 1986, "Hooah" is always affirmative and used in various circumstances defined by the user's enthusiasm. Examples: upper case "HOOAH": "I totally agree, that's badass!"; or lower case "hooah", "yea got it, I'll get it done". Or it can be used as a question showing concern or need for clarification of intent: "Hooah?"
The Georgia Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Georgia Line" referred to the quota of one infantry regiment which was assigned to Georgia at various times by the Continental Congress. The term also included the three infantry regiments in excess of Georgia's quota that were raised outside the state. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was particularly important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state.
Glen E. Morrell is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the seventh Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in on July 1, 1983, and served until July 1987.
David L. Grange is a retired United States Army major general. He served with the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. He was later assigned to Delta Force, commanding a squadron during the invasion of Grenada and was deputy commander during the Gulf War. His last command was of 1st Infantry Division before he retired in 1999.
The 54th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army Regimental System parent regiment of the United States Army, first constituted for World War I. It is represented by the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 54th Infantry Regiment, a One Station Unit Training (OSUT) unit stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Ralph Puckett Jr. is a retired United States Army officer. He led the Eighth Army Ranger Company during the Korean War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on November 25, 1950, when his company of 51 Rangers was attacked by several hundred Chinese soldiers at the battle for Hill 205. He later served in the Vietnam War and retired from the army in 1971 as a colonel. After being appointed on July 19, 1996, he has served as the Honorary Colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment and is frequently in demand as a public speaker for military ceremonies.
The 19th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment which is assigned to the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, with the assignment of conducting Basic and Advanced Infantry Training.
The Armor Branch of the United States Army is an active armoured warfare combat arms branch.
Robert Bruce Abrams is a retired four-star general in the United States Army who last served as the commander of United States Forces Korea. He concurrently served as the commander of United Nations Command and commander of R.O.K.-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He previously served as the 22nd commanding general of United States Army Forces Command from August 10, 2015 to October 17, 2018. He is a 1982 graduate of the United States Military Academy where he was commissioned as an armor officer. During his years of active service, he has held command and staff positions across the Army and joint community in Germany, the United States, Southwest Asia and South Korea. Abrams comes from a family of career military officers. His father was former Army Chief of Staff General Creighton W. Abrams Jr., and both of his elder brothers, Creighton and John, were Army general officers.
The 116th Field Artillery is a regiment of the Florida Army National Guard. Currently there are two battalions; 2-116th FA is fires battalion for the 53rd Brigade Combat Team, and 3-116th (HIMARS) is part of the 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, both of the Florida Army National Guard.
Paul Joseph LaCamera is a United States Army four-star general and infantry officer who serves as commander of the United Nations Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea since July 2, 2021. LaCamera most recently served as commanding general of United States Army Pacific from November 18, 2019 to June 3, 2021. He previously served as the commanding general of XVIII Airborne Corps. His other assignments include the commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and as the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division. LaCamera is a native of Westwood, Massachusetts. He was nominated to replace General Robert Abrams as the next commander of United Nations Command, R.O.K.-U.S. Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea, on December 2, 2020, however his nomination was returned to the president on January 3, 2021, without action. He was renominated on April 27, 2021.
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Lieutenant General James Michael Dubik is a senior fellow at the Institute for the Study of War and a professor at Georgetown University's Security Studies Program. General Dubik has extensive operational experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Bosnia, Haiti, Panama, Honduras, and in many NATO countries.
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