19.3. 1883 - General Joseph Warren Stilwell

He served in the US Army during both world wars. He disliked the British and earned the nickname Vinegar Joe. Joseph Warren Stilwell was born March 19, 1883.

He was born in Florida, his father was a physician. When he was a boy, the whole family moved to New York. He grew up in a strictly religious environment. He attended Yonkers Middle School here, for which he also played football. After high school, he began attending the military academy at West Point, New York, and graduated in 1904 as a lieutenant.

During World War I, he served with the 4th U.S. Corps as an intelligence officer and planned the offensive at the Battle of Saint Mihiel. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal while in France. After World War I, he studied in Beijing, where he learned excellent Chinese. From 1935 to 1939, he was the American attaché in China. However, he then returned to the U.S., where he became an assistant commander of the 2nd Infantry in Houston. From 1940 to 1941, he was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division in California.

While still in 1941, he was sent back to China directly by President Franklin Roosevelt and Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall. Stilwell became the commander of the American forces operating in China. He subsequently attempted to reform the Chinese army because he feared it was getting out of control. He also commanded troops in India and Burma, where he attempted to repel Japanese attacks. He wanted to keep the way open between India and China. But the Burma operation ended disastrously. Chinese forces under Stilwell even refused to take orders.

He was known as a dry man who wore a plain uniform with no rank insignia and despised the British. He was nicknamed "Vinegar Joe". In 1944, he again led a Chinese division when he attempted to take the town of Myitkyina and the local airfield. Due to disputes with General Chiang Kai-shek, President of the Chinese National Assembly and later Chinese President, Stilwell was called back to the US in October 1944.

A few months later, he led the 10th Army during the fighting for Okinawa. After the war, he participated in the modernization of the army, where he was to capitalize on his experience. At his recommendation, for example, service tests for new weapons were extended. But in 1946, he died in San Francisco of stomach cancer. His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. A stamp bearing his portrait was issued in the USA in 2000.

He received several important awards. In addition to the aforementioned Distinguished Service Medal, the Philippine Campaign Medal, the Second World War II and World War I, the Mexican Border Service Medal, and the U.S. Armed Forces Service Medal.

Sources: www.findagrave.com, https://ww2gravestone.com/