Felix L. Sparks - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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...

Felix Sparks (August 2, 1917—September 25, 2007) was an American

United States

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

military commander who led the 3rd Battalion of the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division of 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...

, the first Allied force to enter Dachau concentration camp and liberate its prisoners. See also Dachau massacre

Dachau massacre

The Dachau massacre occurred in the area of the Dachau concentration camp, near Dachau, Germany, on April 29, 1945, during World War II. During the camp's liberation, American soldiers from 45th Infantry Division of the U.S. Seventh Army allegedly wounded and killed German prisoners of war...

.

Born in San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

, Sparks grew up in Miami, Arizona

Miami, Arizona

Miami is a town in Gila County, Arizona, United States. Miami is a classic Western copper boomtown, though the copper mines are largely dormant now...

, where his father worked for a copper mining company. In 1935, after unsuccessfully seeking jobs in the shipyards of Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...

and San Francisco

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

, he enlisted in the U.S. Army.

In a ten-year army career, which included the December 1941–August 1945 period of 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...

, Sparks rose to the rank of colonel. Upon returning to civilian life, he attended the University of Colorado

University of Colorado at Boulder

The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...

Law School, graduating in 1947. After opening a law practice in Delta, Colorado

Delta, Colorado

The City of Delta is the county seat and the most populous city of Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 8,915 at the 2010 census...

, he was elected district attorney

District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

there, running as the Democratic Party candidate. Following his reelection loss in 1952, Governor Ed Johnson

Edwin C. Johnson

Edwin Carl Johnson was a Democratic Party politician who served as Governor of the state of Colorado.-Background:...

appointed him to fill an unexpired term on the Colorado Supreme Court

Colorado Supreme Court

The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices.-Appellate jurisdiction:...

. At the end of that term, he returned to his law practice in Delta. He was also in the Colorado Army National Guard

Colorado Army National Guard

The Colorado Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...

, notably during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...

and, between 1968 and 1979 served as its Commander, retiring with the rank of Brigadier General.

Eight weeks past his 90th birthday, Felix L. Sparks died in Colorado from complications due to pneumonia.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.