Edward Hale Brooks was a decorated officer in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 and a veteran

Veteran

A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...

 of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

. He received the Distinguished Service Cross

Distinguished Service Cross (United States)

The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...

 for heroism as a young officer in World War I and commanded the 2nd Armored Division "Hell on Wheels" during the Normandy Invasion as well as the VI Corps during the subsequent defeat of German forces in World War II.

Early Personal Life and Education

Edward H. Brooks was born on 25 April 1893 in Concord, New Hampshire

Concord, New Hampshire

The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....

. His father, Edward Waite Brooks, was a salesman. His mother was the former Mary Frances Hale. Ted Brooks had three sisters, Harriet, Gretchen and Alice Brooks. Both Gretchen and Alice died in their infancy. He graduated from Concord High School

Concord High School (New Hampshire)

Concord High School is a high school in Concord, New Hampshire in the United States.- History :Concord's first public high school was established in 1846. The original building was the building on the corner of State and School Streets. A new school house was built in 1862, which stood until April...

 in June 1911 (where he lettered in football), after which he attended Norwich University

Norwich University

Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of...

 (The Military College of Vermont) in Northfield, Vermont

Northfield, Vermont

Northfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. It lies in a valley within the Green Mountains, and has been the home of Norwich University since 1866. The town contains the village of Northfield, where over half of its population lives. The population was 6,207 at the 2010...

, graduating in 1916 with a Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 Degree in Civil Engineering

Civil engineering

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...

. He later also received a Master of Science

Master of Science

A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

 degree from Norwich University and an honorary doctoral degree in Military Science

Military science

Military science is the process of translating national defence policy to produce military capability by employing military scientists, including theorists, researchers, experimental scientists, applied scientists, designers, engineers, test technicians, and military personnel responsible for...

 from Pennsylvania Military College.

General Brooks began his military career in June 1915 as a Captain with the 1st Cavalry of the Vermont National Guard

Vermont National Guard

The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Green Mountain Boys, despite the inclusion of women in both branches since the mid-twentieth century. Flag of the Green Mountain Boys as their banner...

, a position he held until July 1916. For the following year, he applied his education in private industry as a civil engineer before his National Guard detail was called up for federal service.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1917, Ted Brooks married the former Miss Beatrice Aurora Leavitt

Leavitt (surname)

Leavitt is an Anglo-Norman surname variant and may refer to:*Rev. Ashley Day Leavitt , Yale graduate, minister, Harvard Congregational Church, Brookline, Massachusetts...

. They had two children: Elizabeth Allen Brooks (b. 27 December 1918) and Edward Hale Brooks, Jr. (b. 6 June 1920).

World War I and the Distinguished Service Cross

General Brooks was commissioned a second lieutenant of Cavalry in the Regular Army in August 1917, was promoted to first lieutenant the same date and was assigned to the Army Service Schools at Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...

, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

. In November 1917, he was transferred to the 76th Field Artillery

76th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)

The 76th Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army. first Constituted 1916 in the Regular Army.-Lineage:Constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 18th Cavalry...

 at Camp Shelby

Camp Shelby

Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate begins at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to serve as a major, independent mobilization station of the...

, Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

, moving with his regiment to Camp Merritt, New Jersey

Camp Merritt, New Jersey

Camp Merritt was a military base in Cresskill, in Bergen County, New Jersey, that was activated for use in World War I. It was from this camp that thousands of soldiers were deployed to Hoboken, New Jersey before being shipped off to Europe. Approximately four million troops were sent to the...

 in March 1918. At that post he was assigned to the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade in command of a detachment (later G-3) that sailed for France in April 1918.

General Brooks served in the Champagne-Marne Defense

Second Battle of the Marne

The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...

, the Aisne-Marne Offensive

Second Battle of the Marne

The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...

, the St. Mihiel Offensive

Battle of Saint-Mihiel

The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12–15, 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and 48,000 French troops under the command of U.S. general John J. Pershing against German positions...

 and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

Meuse-Argonne Offensive

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...

. On October 5, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, he earned a Distinguished Service Cross "for extraordinary heroism in action" at Montfauçon, France when he "... exposed himself to heavy and accurate artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

 fire directed on an ammunition train

Ammunition train

The ammunition train was an element of armies in 19th and 20th century warfare. They were responsible for transporting the artillery and infantry ammunition of each division from the ammunition refilling point to the area of engagement. The train itself may have been a literal train, but in most...

 while driving a loaded ammunition truck to safety, the driver of which had been killed by enemy fire."

Following the Armistice, he served with the Army of the Occupation in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 until returning to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in August 1919 with station at Camp Pike, Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

. In July 1920 he was transferred from the Cavalry to the Field Artillery.

Between the Wars

Upon his return to the United States, General Brooks was a member of the Camp Pike football team. After being named All-Army Halfback in 1920 on the first All-Army team, he captained the Army team that defeated Great Lakes Naval Training Station 20-6 at the American Legion

American Legion

The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...

 Convention in Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

 in 1921.

General Brooks entered the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill

Fort Sill

Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...

, Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

 in September 1921. Upon graduation in June 1922 he remained as an instructor in gunnery until November 1926, when he was assigned to the command of Battery D of the 24th Field Artillery Regiment

24th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)

The 24th Philippine Scout Field Artillery Regiment was part of the US Army's Philippine Division, formed in 1922 and active until April 1942. Antecedent units dated back to 1899....

, a pack mule outfit.

In October 1928, he was assigned with the 18th Field Artillery

18th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)

The 18th Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916-Distinctive Unit Insignia:*Description...

 at Fort Riley

Fort Riley

Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...

, Kansas. At Fort Riley his artillery battery, a horse drawn outfit, was the first to complete a 100 mile forced march in less than 24 hours. From 1932 to 1934 Brooks attended Command and General Staff College

Command and General Staff College

The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...

 at Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...

, Kansas, then went to Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 as Professor of Military Science

Military science

Military science is the process of translating national defence policy to produce military capability by employing military scientists, including theorists, researchers, experimental scientists, applied scientists, designers, engineers, test technicians, and military personnel responsible for...

 and Tactics from 1934 to 1936. He attended War College

U.S. Army War College

The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...

 from 1936 to 1937 and was then detailed as an instructor in the attack section of the Command and General Staff College.

Preparing for World War II

Brooks was chief of the statistics branch of the War Department

United States Department of War

The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...

 General Staff from 1939 to 1941, where he was closely associated with General George C. Marshall and Secretary of War

United States Secretary of War

The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...

 Henry L. Stimson

Henry L. Stimson

Henry Lewis Stimson was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy. He twice served as Secretary of War 1911–1913 under Republican William Howard Taft and 1940–1945, under Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the latter role he was a leading hawk...

. By this time he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

. In September 1941, General Jacob L. Devers

Jacob L. Devers

General Jacob "Jake" Loucks Devers , commander of the 6th Army Group in Europe during World War II. He was the first United States military officer to reach the Rhine after D-Day.-Biography:...

 requested that Brooks be named to the staff of the new armored force being formed at Fort Knox

Fort Knox

Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...

, Kentucky. With this came promotion to Brigadier General

Brigadier general (United States)

A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...

. Consequently, he never held the rank of Colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 (O-6). In 1942 he was promoted once again to Major General

Major general (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

. In this capacity he played a major role in the development of the M-7 self-propelled artillery piece and the Howitzer Motor Carriage M8

Howitzer Motor Carriage M8

The 75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8, sometimes known as the M8 Scott, was a self-propelled howitzer vehicle of the United States developed during the Second World War.-Development:...

, both potent forces in armored tactics.

World War II

From 1942 until 1944 Brooks established and was commander of the 11th Armored Division at Ft. Knox, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, preparing them for the impending invasion of continental Europe. In March 1944, Maj. Gen. Brooks was sent to England to take command of the 2nd Armored Division ("Hell on Wheels") and led that elite unit across Omaha Beach in the Normandy invasion on 9 June 1944. The division spearheaded the break-through at Saint-Lô

Saint-Lô

Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...

, fought across France, Luxembourg and Belgium, being the first Allied troops to enter Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 in World War II. General Brooks contributed, in particular, his skills in artillery coordination to the division. General Brooks was awarded a Silver Star

Silver Star

The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

 for repeatedly attacking enemy positions along his line and for the rapid commitment of his division against the enemy. He was cited for in particular for "personal gallantry and leadership", sometimes personally manning machine guns along with other senior officers. In October 1944 he became Commanding General of the VI Corps in France and its nearly 150,000 men, commanding it in the campaigns in France, Germany, Austria and Italy. On May 5, 1945 (two days before V-E day) General Brooks accepted the surrender of the German 19th Army

19th Army (Germany)

The 19th Army was a World War II field army of the German Army .-History:Formed in August 1943 in occupied southern France from Armeegruppe Felber The 19th Army (German: 19. Armee) was a World War II field army of the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer).-History:Formed in August 1943 in occupied southern...

 and 24th Army

24th Army (Germany)

The 24th Army was a World War II field army of the German Army.-History:The army was formed in October 1944 and was tasked with the defence of southern Germany. The army was commanded by General der Infanterie Hans Schmidt. Formed on the basis of the staff of the V. Armeekorps, between February...

 in Innsbruck, Austria.

Personal Tragedy

On September 22, 1945, General Brooks' son, Maj. Edward Hale Brooks, Jr. (USMA

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 Jan 1943), died in an airplane accident in Belgium while returning from a night training flight. He was an instructor pilot on the flight in question and was standing at the flight deck at the time of impact.

After World War II

Upon return to the United States at the close of the European war, General Brooks assumed command of the Fourth Service Command at Atlanta, Georgia. He was appointed deputy commander of the Seventh Army at Atlanta in June 1946, and the following March became deputy commander of the Third Army there. He assumed command of the Antilles Department at Fort Brooke

Fort Brooke, Puerto Rico

Fort Brooke was a United States Army camp established on 3 March 1943 under General Order Number 10 during WWII after the German U-boat attacks of 1942 on the Caribbean Basin in conjunction to Operation Z.-Early years:...

, San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, in September 1947 and, two months later, was designated Commanding General U.S. Army in the Caribbean, with station at Quarry Heights, Panama Canal Zone

Panama Canal Zone

The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...

.

In 1949 Gen. Brooks was promoted to Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General (United States)

In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

 when he was named Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel

Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel

The Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Department of the Army, United States Army, also known as the G-1 is responsible for developing, management and execution of all manpower and personnel plans, programs and policies throughout the entire U.S. Army...

 (G-1) of the Army. He then served as commanding general of the U.S. Second Army

U.S. Second Army

Second United States Army was formed 15 October 1918 during World War I. It functioned as a training and administrative headquarters until being inactivated 15 April 1919....

 at Fort Meade, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 from 1951 until he retired from active service on 30 April 1953.

The following was written of General Brooks at the time of his retirement by General Jacob L. Devers

Jacob L. Devers

General Jacob "Jake" Loucks Devers , commander of the 6th Army Group in Europe during World War II. He was the first United States military officer to reach the Rhine after D-Day.-Biography:...

: "Ted Brooks is a man of action. He accepts responsibility and then does something constructive about it—and he does it now, not tomorrow. He is a great fighter to have on your side, for he thinks only of the big objective and never of himself. He is quick and sound in his thinking—has tremendous courage—and will tackle any problem with new approaches until he gets the solution. His integrity is of the highest order, and he has great loyalty up and down. He knows when and where to disperse the work load, and when and where to concentrate it. His judgment is unquestionably sound. In addition, Ted has a wonderfully pleasing and dynamic personality. God has truly endowed him with wisdom and with an unfailing ability to understand his fellow man. A great soldier, a keen strategist, and a thoroughly capable administrator, Ted Brooks has all the qualities that would make him an excellent Chief of Staff of the Army."

Dates of Rank

Second/First Lieutenant: 8 August 1917

Captain: 8 June 1918

Major: 1 August 1935

Lieutenant Colonel: 8 August 1940

Brigadier General: 15 December 1941

Major General: 5 August 1942

Lieutenant General: 18 March 1949

Civilian Life

Ted Brooks spent the rest of his years in Concord

Concord, New Hampshire

The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....

 and Melvin Village, New Hampshire

Melvin Village, New Hampshire

Melvin Village is a census-designated place within the town of Tuftonboro in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population at the 2010 census was 241....

. He served on the board of directors of a local bank and indulged his love of fly-fishing and his family, among other hobbies.

Death and Eulogy Excerpt

General Brooks died in Concord, NH on October 10, 1978, leaving his wife of 61 years, Beatrice Leavitt Brooks, their daughter, Elizabeth Brooks Campbell, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Excerpt from eulogy as written and presented by Gen. Charles D. Palmer

Charles D. Palmer

Charles Day Palmer was a United States Army four star general who served as Deputy Commander in Chief, United States European Command from 1959 to 1962. His brother, Williston B...

: "He was an exceptional and courageous leader who inspired confidence, demanded much of his subordinates but gave more of himself, was very strict but fair, never sought personal power and glory. He pushed forward deserving subordinates, but never pushed forward himself, was very modest and very human. Subordinates sometimes referred to him as a "lucky general" not meaning that he himself was lucky but that he was lucky for them - such was their confidence that he and they would succeed."

External links