Hugh John Casey
Encyclopedia
Hugh John Casey (24 July 1898 – 30 August 1981) was a Major General
in the United States Army
. A 1918 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Casey served in Germany during the Occupation of the Rhineland
. He later returned to Germany to attend the Technische Hochschule in Berlin, earning a Doctor of Engineering
degree.
As an engineer, Casey prepared a voluminous report on flood control for the Pittsburgh District. He was involved with the design and construction of the Deadman Island Lock and Dam on the Ohio River
, and was chief of the Engineering Division at the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project, a New Deal
public works project. He went to the Philippines
in 1937 to advise the government there on hydropower
and flood control. In the early part of World War II
, he became involved with the enormous wartime construction program. Perhaps his most notable and lasting achievement was his involvement with the design of The Pentagon
, the largest office building in the world.
Casey served as General of the Army
Douglas MacArthur
's chief engineer
during the Battle of Bataan
, in the jungles and mountains of New Guinea
and the Philippines, and during the occupation of Japan. In the Battle of Leyte
, he commanded the Army Support Command (ASCOM), which was responsible for all construction and logistics activities in the forward area. He hoped to become Chief of Engineers
, but President
Harry S. Truman
passed him over. Later, Casey worked for Schenley Industries
from 1951 until his retirement in 1965, and was chairman of the New York City Transit Authority
from 1953 to 1955.
, New York
on 7 June 1898, the son of John J. Casey, a plumbing and heating contractor, and Margaret L. Casey. John J. Casey's grandparents were immigrants from Ireland
and England
. His grandfather served on Union
side in the American Civil War
and was killed in the Battle of Shiloh
. Margaret’s parents were Irish immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania
.
Hugh Casey was educated at Manual Training High School from 1910 to 1914, graduating at the age of 15. He won a New York State scholarship and entered Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, where he studied civil engineering
. After a year there, he took a competitive examination for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point held by Congressman Daniel J. Griffin
, the chairman of the House Committee on Military Affairs, ranking first out of 62 applicants for the appointment. To enter, Casey raised his age slightly, adopting his brother's 7 June birthday.
Casey entered West Point in 1915, where his best friend and roommate was Lucius D. Clay
. At West Point, Casey played football
as a halfback
, substituting for Elmer Oliphant
. One of Casey's duties was keeping Oliphant proficient at mathematics. Unlike most appointees to West Point, a grateful Casey wrote frequently to Griffin about his progress and sent him football tickets. When Casey's younger brother Martin Charles Casey wished to go to West Point, Griffin directly appointed him to the class of 1920 without having to pass the examination. Martin served with the coastal artillery
for eleven years before being medically discharged due to migraine
headaches on 30 November 1931. Martin later became a successful lawyer. Both brothers acquired the nickname "Pat" and West Point.
, Casey's class graduated early on 12 June 1918. Casey was ranked third in the class and was commissioned as a captain in the United States Army Corps of Engineers
. He served at Camp A. A. Humphreys, Virginia
, first as an instructor and then from September 1918 as a company commander with the 219th Engineers, part of the 19th Division. The 219th Engineers moved to Company Commander, 219th Engineers, Camp Dodge
, Iowa in November 1918. Casey returned to the Engineer School at Camp Humphreys as a student in September 1919.
He served with the US Occupation forces in the Rhineland
from June 1920 to May 1922. While there, Casey improved on his high school German to become fluent enough in the language to write his Doctoral thesis in German. In Koblenz
, he married Dorothy Ruth Miller, the daughter of Colonel R. B. Miller, the chief surgeon of the American forces there, on 22 May 1922. On their honeymoon they travelled through south Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Their union produced three children; two sons, Hugh Boyd
and Keith Miles, and a daughter, Patricia.
in Lawrence, Kansas
. He returned to Camp Humpreys again in 1926 to attend the Company Officers Course. In 1927, Casey received his first civil works assignment, as assistant District Engineer at the Pittsburgh District. Casey took over the task of preparing a voluminous report on flood control. The Corps of Engineers was criticized by the Pittsburgh Flood Control Commission for over-engineering, in planning for a "flood that had never happened and never would happen," and the report was shelved. However, in 1936 the flood did happen. The report was then dusted off and its recommendations were adopted. The Flood Control Act of 1936
assigned responsibility for flood control to the Corps of Engineers and other Federal agencies. Casey was also responsible for construction at Deadman Island Lock and Dam (now called the Dashields Lock and Dam) on the Ohio River
.
In September 1929 Casey was assigned to the Rivers and Harbors Section of the Office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington, DC . This job involved reviewing the project studies, plans and specifications of all river and harbor projects throughout the United States. including also flood control and hydroelectric power projects. He also had responsibility for answering correspondence to U.S. senators and congressmen. During this time he co-designed and patented the Kingman-Casey Floating Mooring Bit for navigation locks. He was finally promoted to the substantive rank of captain on 1 May 1933.
Casey won a two-year John R. Freeman fellowship from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
in 1933 to study hydraulics
and civil engineering in Germany. For the next two years attended the Technische Hochschule in Berlin, earning a Doctorate in Engineering
for his thesis, written in German, on Geschieb Bewegung, the bedload movement in streams. Returning to the United States in June 1935, Casey was posted to Eastport, Maine
as chief of the Engineering Division at the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project, a New Deal
public works project. There, he established a concrete testing laboratory under Charles E. Wuerpel which is now part of the Structures Laboratory at the Waterways Experiment Station
at Vicksburg, Mississippi
. Due to political forces, the project came to nothing and was allowed to die. After the Passamaquoddy project fell through, Casey served with the Boston
Engineer District on flood control surveys of the Connecticut River
Valley.
Along with Lucius Clay, Casey was sent to the Philippines
in 1937 to advise the government there on hydropower
and flood control. They worked with Meralco
and other power companies in the Philippines, and conducted a series of surveys, including a detailed one of the Agno River
. After Clay returned to the United States, Casey developed plans for the Caliraya Dam
, a 40000 hp hydroelectric project with an estimated the cost of $5 million. Along with Lieutenant Colonel
Dwight D. Eisenhower
, the chief of staff to Major General
Douglas MacArthur
, the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines
, and Mr. Rodriquez of the National Power Corporation
, Casey presented the project to President
Manuel Quezon, who approved it. Casey was promoted to major
on 1 February 1940.
Casey returned to Washington, D.C.
in October 1940 to become chief of the Design and Engineering Section in the Construction Division of the Office of the Quartermaster General
, under Brigadier General
Brehon B. Somervell
. An enormous construction program was underway to meet the needs of World War II
. Working with a staff that included George Bergstrom
, a former president of the American Institute of Architects
, Casey set about revising the standard designs. A number of new features were added to improve comfort, safety, and durability. Substitutions were made for scarce materials. It was discovered that the standard 63-man barracks was now too small. Of the 81 companies in the new triangular division
, 51 fitted more easily into 74-man barracks. By slightly increasing the barracks size, substantial savings were made by reducing the overall number of buildings that needed to be constructed, the size of the cantonment areas required, and the length of required roads and utility lines. Casey was promoted to lieutenant colonel
on 8 April 1941.
On the afternoon of Thursday, 17 July 1941, Somervell summoned Casey and Bergstrom and gave them a new special project: the design of an enormous office complex to house the War Department's
40,000-person staff together in one building. Over that weekend, Casey and his staff roughed out the design for a five-story, five-sided structure, which would ultimately become The Pentagon
, the largest office building in the world. Somervell gave them until 0900 on Monday morning to design the building, which he envisaged as a modern, four-story structure with no elevators, on the site of the old Washington Hoover Airport
. Over that "very busy weekend", Casey, Bergstrom and their staff roughed out the design for a four-story, five-sided structure with a floor area of 5100000 square foot—twice that of the Empire State Building
. The estimated cost was $35 million. President
Roosevelt
subsequently moved the site of the building, over Somervell's objections, in order to prevent it being constructed in front of Arlington National Cemetery
.
requested Casey's services as his chief engineer. Casey arrived in Manila
in October, shortly before the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan
. Casey acquired construction equipment from the National Power Corporation that was being used on the Caliraya project. Casey supervised demolitions as MacArthur's troops retreated to Bataan
. Unlike the rest of MacArthur's headquarters, Casey, who was promoted to colonel
on 19 December 1941 and brigadier general
on 25 January 1942, did not relocate to Corregidor
but remained on Bataan with a small staff of five officers. However, he joined MacArthur and sixteen other members of his staff in their escape from Corregidor by PT boat in March 1942.
In Australia
, Casey became Chief Engineer at MacArthur's GHQ, Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA). He faced enormous engineering challenges. Most of New Guinea
consisted of mountains and jungle, with very few airstrips, ports or roads. All of these had to be developed to support operations. To provide additional expertise in construction, Casey had Leif Sverdrup assigned to his staff as chief of the Construction Section, with the rank of colonel. As U.S. Army engineers were few in numbers, Casey worked closely with his Australian Army
counterpart at General
Sir Thomas Blamey
's Allied Land Forces headquarters, Major General
Clive Steele
. Construction activities in Australia were also undertaken by civilians of the Allied Works Council
. Casey attempted to coordinate the activities of the various agencies. He had to fend off attempts by the U.S. Army Air Forces to gain control of his aviation engineer battalions. The Royal Australian Air Force
organised its own airbase construction squadrons and only with difficulty was Casey able to control their activities.
Casey's initial need was for engineer units to accomplish the daunting construction program, but soon stocks of engineer supplies and equipment began to run low. This was exacerbated by incoming units arriving without their equipment, or with it stowed on numerous ships, which often arrived at various ports in a theater where ports were hundred or thousands of miles apart. Critical shortages developed of tractor
s, grader
s, concrete mixer
s and welding
equipment. In the absence of a proper stock control system, an overall coordinating agency, and an adequate numbers of engineer depot units, the allocation and distribution of the meager supplies on hand were difficult tasks. The worst problem was spare parts. Equipment was operated around the clock under harsh conditions and soon wore out or broke. A large proportion of equipment became unserviceable for lack of spare parts. Requisitions sent to the United States took months to arrive, so recourse was made to the limited sources of supply in Australia.
In September 1942, MacArthur decided to outflank Japanese troops on the Kokoda Trail by sending an American regimental combat team
over the Owen Stanley Range
. Two alternate means of crossing the mountains seemed possible. One, the Kapa Kapa Trail
was known to climb to elevations above 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) and present formidable obstacles. The other, known as the Abau Trail held the possibility. Casey and Sverdrup took charge of investigating the Abau Trail. They reached Abau on 18 September. Casey explored the harbor, taking depth soundings from a native canoe. Sverdrup set out for Jaure with a party of one American, two Australians from the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit
, ten native police from the Royal Papuan Constabulary
and 26 native carriers. After eight days on the trail, scaling heights of 5000 feet (1,524 m), Sverdrup concluded that it would not be practical for troops to traverse the route and turned back. Meanwhile Casey had concluded that the harbor was too shallow even for lighters
. However, the trip was not a total loss, for Sverdrup had sighted a plateau north of the Owen Stanley Range suitable for airstrips, allowing troops to be flown across the Owen Stanley Range.
In New Guinea, logistics and construction activities were coordinated by task force engineer staffs. These were often hastily assembled and had not always been able to meet the demands imposed by base development in such a demanding theater of operations. The scale of operations in the Philippines was much greater, so for this purpose the Army Service Command (ASCOM) was formed in Brisbane on 23 July 1944. Casey was appointed to command ASCOM. In his absence, Sverdrup became MacArthur's chief engineer. Although part of USASOS, ASCOM operated under the control of Sixth Army, moving as far forward as combat operations allowed, developed new bases, and operated them until USASOS was ready to take over, at which point the units under ASCOM simply reverted back to USASOS, allowing a seamless transfer of command. For the Battle of Leyte
Casey's ASCOM had 43,000 men, of whom 21,000 were engineers. Casey and some members of his staff came ashore on A-Day; the advance echelon of his ASCOM headquarters arrived two days later. Work began immediately on the airfield at Tacloban
, and commenced on airfields in central Leyte soon after they were captured. Heavy seasonal rains thwarted attempts to develop the airbases in central Leyte and it was decided to abandon their development and construct a new airbase on the coast at Tanauan
. While suitable from a construction point of view, there was a 250 feet (76.2 m) hill at one end of the runway and the site was already occupied by Sixth Army headquarters. However, the need to get aircraft based on Leyte to stop the Japanese from reinforcing the island was so pressing that Lieutenant General George Kenney
was persuaded to accept the site, and Lieutenant General Walter Krueger
agreed to move his headquarters. Casey had intended to come ashore on the first day of the landing at Lingayen Gulf
in January 1945 but was delayed a day because the destroyer he was travelling on had to escort a crippled transport. Despite enormous difficulties ASCOM was able to finish numerous projects on time and some ahead of schedule. On 13 February 1945, ASCOM was transferred to USASOS and redesignated the Luzon Base Section (LUBSEC). Casey then resumed his post as Chief Engineer, GHQ SWPA.
Casey hoped to become Chief of Engineers
when Lieutenant General Raymond A. Wheeler retired in 1948, but President Harry S. Truman
passed him over in favor of the Missouri River Division Engineer, Major General Lewis A. Pick
. Instead, Casey remained in Japan as MacArthur's Chief Engineer until Casey's retirement on 31 December 1949.
from 1953 to 1955, and served in various positions with Schenley Industries
from 1951 until his retirement in 1965. He died of a heart attack on 30 August 1981 at the Veterans Administration Hospital at White River Junction, Vermont
. He was survived by his wife Dorothy and his son Keith. His son Hugh had been killed in an air crash during the Korean War
. Father and son were buried adjacent to each other in Arlington National Cemetery
. His daughter Patricia, who married Major General Frank Butner Clay
, the son of Lucius Clay, had died on 1 January 1973, and is also buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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 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...
. A 1918 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Casey served in Germany during the Occupation of the Rhineland
Occupation of the Rhineland
The Occupation of the Rhineland took place following the armistice and brought the fighting of World War I to a close on 11 November 1918. The occupying armies consisted of American, Belgian, British and French forces...
. He later returned to Germany to attend the Technische Hochschule in Berlin, earning a Doctor of Engineering
Doctor of Engineering
The Doctor of Engineering is an academic degree awarded on the basis of advanced study and research in engineering or applied sciences...
degree.
As an engineer, Casey prepared a voluminous report on flood control for the Pittsburgh District. He was involved with the design and construction of the Deadman Island Lock and Dam on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, and was chief of the Engineering Division at the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project, a New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
public works project. He went to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 1937 to advise the government there on hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
and flood control. In the early part 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...
, he became involved with the enormous wartime construction program. Perhaps his most notable and lasting achievement was his involvement with the design of The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, the largest office building in the world.
Casey served as General of the Army
General of the Army
General of the Army is a military rank used in some countries to denote a senior military leader, usually a General in command of a nation's Army. It may also be the title given to a General who commands an Army in the field....
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's chief engineer
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
during the Battle of Bataan
Battle of Bataan
The Battle of Bataan represented the most intense phase of Imperial Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II. The capture of the Philippine Islands was crucial to Japan's effort to control the Southwest Pacific, seize the resource-rich Dutch East Indies, and protect its Southeast...
, in the jungles and mountains of New Guinea
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
and the Philippines, and during the occupation of Japan. In the Battle of Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
, he commanded the Army Support Command (ASCOM), which was responsible for all construction and logistics activities in the forward area. He hoped to become Chief of Engineers
Chief of Engineers
The Chief of Engineers commands the US Army Corps of Engineers. As a staff officer at The Pentagon, the Chief advises the Army on engineering matters and serves as the Army's topographer and the proponent for real estate and other related engineering programs....
, but President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
passed him over. Later, Casey worked for Schenley Industries
Schenley Industries
Schenley was a liquor company based out of New York, N.Y. with headquarters in the Empire State Building and a distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. It owned several brands of Bourbon whiskey, including Schenley, The Old Quaker Company, Carstairs' White Seal, and possibly others; they also owned a...
from 1951 until his retirement in 1965, and was chairman of the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
from 1953 to 1955.
Early life
Hugh John Casey was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 7 June 1898, the son of John J. Casey, a plumbing and heating contractor, and Margaret L. Casey. John J. Casey's grandparents were immigrants from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His grandfather served on Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
side in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and was killed in the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
. Margaret’s parents were Irish immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Hugh Casey was educated at Manual Training High School from 1910 to 1914, graduating at the age of 15. He won a New York State scholarship and entered Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, where he studied 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...
. After a year there, he took a competitive examination for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point held by Congressman Daniel J. Griffin
Daniel J. Griffin
Daniel Joseph Griffin was a U.S. Representative from New York.-Early life:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Griffin attended the parochial schools, St. Laurent College near Montreal, Canada and St. Peter's College in Jersey City.-Public Life:Griffin graduated in law from the New York Law School...
, the chairman of the House Committee on Military Affairs, ranking first out of 62 applicants for the appointment. To enter, Casey raised his age slightly, adopting his brother's 7 June birthday.
Casey entered West Point in 1915, where his best friend and roommate was Lucius D. Clay
Lucius D. Clay
General Lucius Dubignon Clay was an American officer and military governor of the United States Army known for his administration of Germany immediately after World War II. Clay was deputy to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1945; deputy military governor, Germany 1946; commander in chief, U.S....
. At West Point, Casey played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
as a halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
, substituting for Elmer Oliphant
Elmer Oliphant
Elmer Quillen Oliphant, nicknamed Catchie or Catchy, Olie or Ollie was an American football player.-High school:...
. One of Casey's duties was keeping Oliphant proficient at mathematics. Unlike most appointees to West Point, a grateful Casey wrote frequently to Griffin about his progress and sent him football tickets. When Casey's younger brother Martin Charles Casey wished to go to West Point, Griffin directly appointed him to the class of 1920 without having to pass the examination. Martin served with the coastal artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
for eleven years before being medically discharged due to migraine
Migraine
Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea...
headaches on 30 November 1931. Martin later became a successful lawyer. Both brothers acquired the nickname "Pat" and West Point.
World War I
Due the United States' entry into World War IWorld 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...
, Casey's class graduated early on 12 June 1918. Casey was ranked third in the class and was commissioned as a captain in the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. He served at Camp A. A. Humphreys, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, first as an instructor and then from September 1918 as a company commander with the 219th Engineers, part of the 19th Division. The 219th Engineers moved to Company Commander, 219th Engineers, Camp Dodge
Camp Dodge
Camp Dodge is a military installation in the city of Johnston, Iowa. Centrally located near the capitol of Iowa, it currently serves as the headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. Original construction of the post began in 1907, to provide a place for the National Guard units to train...
, Iowa in November 1918. Casey returned to the Engineer School at Camp Humphreys as a student in September 1919.
He served with the US Occupation forces in the Rhineland
Occupation of the Rhineland
The Occupation of the Rhineland took place following the armistice and brought the fighting of World War I to a close on 11 November 1918. The occupying armies consisted of American, Belgian, British and French forces...
from June 1920 to May 1922. While there, Casey improved on his high school German to become fluent enough in the language to write his Doctoral thesis in German. In Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, he married Dorothy Ruth Miller, the daughter of Colonel R. B. Miller, the chief surgeon of the American forces there, on 22 May 1922. On their honeymoon they travelled through south Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Their union produced three children; two sons, Hugh Boyd
Hugh Boyd Casey
Major Hugh Boyd Casey is the namesake of the U.S. Army Camp Casey installation in South Korea, named and officially dedicated in 1952 in his memory...
and Keith Miles, and a daughter, Patricia.
Between the wars
From 1922 to 1926, Casey was the officer in charge of the Engineer Unit of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of KansasUniversity of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
. He returned to Camp Humpreys again in 1926 to attend the Company Officers Course. In 1927, Casey received his first civil works assignment, as assistant District Engineer at the Pittsburgh District. Casey took over the task of preparing a voluminous report on flood control. The Corps of Engineers was criticized by the Pittsburgh Flood Control Commission for over-engineering, in planning for a "flood that had never happened and never would happen," and the report was shelved. However, in 1936 the flood did happen. The report was then dusted off and its recommendations were adopted. The Flood Control Act of 1936
Flood Control Act of 1936
The Flood Control Act of 1936, , was an Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on 22 June 1936. It authorized civil engineering projects such as dams, levees, dikes, and other flood control measures through the United States Army Corps of...
assigned responsibility for flood control to the Corps of Engineers and other Federal agencies. Casey was also responsible for construction at Deadman Island Lock and Dam (now called the Dashields Lock and Dam) on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
.
In September 1929 Casey was assigned to the Rivers and Harbors Section of the Office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington, DC . This job involved reviewing the project studies, plans and specifications of all river and harbor projects throughout the United States. including also flood control and hydroelectric power projects. He also had responsibility for answering correspondence to U.S. senators and congressmen. During this time he co-designed and patented the Kingman-Casey Floating Mooring Bit for navigation locks. He was finally promoted to the substantive rank of captain on 1 May 1933.
Casey won a two-year John R. Freeman fellowship from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
in 1933 to study hydraulics
Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
and civil engineering in Germany. For the next two years attended the Technische Hochschule in Berlin, earning a Doctorate in Engineering
Doctor of Engineering
The Doctor of Engineering is an academic degree awarded on the basis of advanced study and research in engineering or applied sciences...
for his thesis, written in German, on Geschieb Bewegung, the bedload movement in streams. Returning to the United States in June 1935, Casey was posted to Eastport, Maine
Eastport, Maine
Eastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway...
as chief of the Engineering Division at the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project, a New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
public works project. There, he established a concrete testing laboratory under Charles E. Wuerpel which is now part of the Structures Laboratory at the Waterways Experiment Station
Waterways Experiment Station
The Engineer Research and Development Center ' is a US Army Corps of Engineers laboratory organization whose mission is to "Provide science, technology, and expertise in engineering and environmental sciences in support of our Armed Forces and the Nation to make the world safer and better." The...
at Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
. Due to political forces, the project came to nothing and was allowed to die. After the Passamaquoddy project fell through, Casey served with the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
Engineer District on flood control surveys of the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
Valley.
Along with Lucius Clay, Casey was sent to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 1937 to advise the government there on hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
and flood control. They worked with Meralco
Meralco
The Manila Electric Company , also known as MERALCO or Meralco, is the Philippines' largest distributor of electrical power.The word MERALCO, is an acronym for Manila Electric Railroad And Light COmpany, which was the company's original name from 1903 to 1919.MERALCO is the Metro Manila's only...
and other power companies in the Philippines, and conducted a series of surveys, including a detailed one of the Agno River
Agno River
Agno River is a river in the Philippine island of Luzon, in the province of Pangasinan. It is the fifth largest river system in the country with drainage area of 5,952 km². It originates in the Cordillera Mountains and empties into the South China Sea via the Cordillera Mountains...
. After Clay returned to the United States, Casey developed plans for the Caliraya Dam
Caliraya Dam
Caliraya Dam is an embankment dam located in the town of Lumban province of Laguna, in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range of the Philippines. The reservoir created by the dam, Lake Caliraya, initially supplied one of the oldest hydroelectric plants in the Philippines, and later became a popular...
, a 40000 hp hydroelectric project with an estimated the cost of $5 million. Along with 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...
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, the chief of staff 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...
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines
Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines
The Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government was created in 1935 upon the initiative of President Manuel L. Quezon by the Philippine and American governments for the purposes of developing a system of national defense for the Commonwealth of the Philippines by 1946...
, and Mr. Rodriquez of the National Power Corporation
National Power Corporation
The National Power Corporation , also known as the NPC or Napocor, is a state-owned company that serves as the largest provider and generator of electricity in the Philippines...
, Casey presented the project to President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Manuel Quezon, who approved it. Casey was promoted to major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
on 1 February 1940.
Construction Division
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in October 1940 to become chief of the Design and Engineering Section in the Construction Division of the Office of the Quartermaster General
Quartermaster general (USA)
The Quartermaster General of the United States Army is a general officer who is responsible for the Quartermaster Corps, the Quartermaster branch of the U.S. Army. The Quartermaster General does not command Quartermaster units, but is primarily focused on training, doctrine and professional...
, under 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...
Brehon B. Somervell
Brehon B. Somervell
Brehon Burke Somervell was a General in the United States Army and Commanding General of the Army Service Forces in World War II. As such he was responsible for the U.S. Army's logistics...
. An enormous construction program was underway to meet the needs 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...
. Working with a staff that included George Bergstrom
George Bergstrom
George Edwin Bergstrom was an American architect most noted for his design work on the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.-Background:...
, a former president of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
, Casey set about revising the standard designs. A number of new features were added to improve comfort, safety, and durability. Substitutions were made for scarce materials. It was discovered that the standard 63-man barracks was now too small. Of the 81 companies in the new triangular division
Triangular division
A triangular division is a designation given to the way divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade headquarters or directly subordinated to the division commander...
, 51 fitted more easily into 74-man barracks. By slightly increasing the barracks size, substantial savings were made by reducing the overall number of buildings that needed to be constructed, the size of the cantonment areas required, and the length of required roads and utility lines. Casey was promoted to 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...
on 8 April 1941.
On the afternoon of Thursday, 17 July 1941, Somervell summoned Casey and Bergstrom and gave them a new special project: the design of an enormous office complex to house the War Department's
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...
40,000-person staff together in one building. Over that weekend, Casey and his staff roughed out the design for a five-story, five-sided structure, which would ultimately become The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, the largest office building in the world. Somervell gave them until 0900 on Monday morning to design the building, which he envisaged as a modern, four-story structure with no elevators, on the site of the old Washington Hoover Airport
Hoover Field
Hoover Field was the first airport to serve the city of Washington, D.C. It was constructed as a private airfield in 1925, but opened to public commercial use on July 16, 1926...
. Over that "very busy weekend", Casey, Bergstrom and their staff roughed out the design for a four-story, five-sided structure with a floor area of 5100000 square foot—twice that of the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
. The estimated cost was $35 million. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
subsequently moved the site of the building, over Somervell's objections, in order to prevent it being constructed in front of Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Southwest Pacific
In September 1941, General Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
requested Casey's services as his chief engineer. Casey arrived in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
in October, shortly before the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Casey acquired construction equipment from the National Power Corporation that was being used on the Caliraya project. Casey supervised demolitions as MacArthur's troops retreated to Bataan
Bataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
. Unlike the rest of MacArthur's headquarters, Casey, who was promoted to colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
on 19 December 1941 and 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...
on 25 January 1942, did not relocate to Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
but remained on Bataan with a small staff of five officers. However, he joined MacArthur and sixteen other members of his staff in their escape from Corregidor by PT boat in March 1942.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Casey became Chief Engineer at MacArthur's GHQ, Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA). He faced enormous engineering challenges. Most of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
consisted of mountains and jungle, with very few airstrips, ports or roads. All of these had to be developed to support operations. To provide additional expertise in construction, Casey had Leif Sverdrup assigned to his staff as chief of the Construction Section, with the rank of colonel. As U.S. Army engineers were few in numbers, Casey worked closely with his Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
counterpart at General
General (Australia)
General is the second highest rank, and the highest active rank, of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of General; it is also considered a four-star rank....
Sir Thomas Blamey
Thomas Blamey
Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO, ED was an Australian general of the First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian to date to attain the rank of field marshal....
's Allied Land Forces headquarters, Major General
Major General (Australia)
Major General is a senior rank of the Australian Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of Major General. It is the third-highest active rank of the Australian Army, and is considered to be equivalent to a two-star rank...
Clive Steele
Clive Steele
Major General Sir Clive Selwyn Steele KBE, DSO, MC, VD was an engineer and a senior officer of the Australian Army who served in both World War I and World War II...
. Construction activities in Australia were also undertaken by civilians of the Allied Works Council
Allied Works Council
The Allied Works Council was an organisation set up to oversee and organise military construction works in Australia during World War II.Established in February 1942, the Allied Works Council was responsible for carrying out any works required by the Allied Forces including providing any equipment,...
. Casey attempted to coordinate the activities of the various agencies. He had to fend off attempts by the U.S. Army Air Forces to gain control of his aviation engineer battalions. The Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
organised its own airbase construction squadrons and only with difficulty was Casey able to control their activities.
Casey's initial need was for engineer units to accomplish the daunting construction program, but soon stocks of engineer supplies and equipment began to run low. This was exacerbated by incoming units arriving without their equipment, or with it stowed on numerous ships, which often arrived at various ports in a theater where ports were hundred or thousands of miles apart. Critical shortages developed of tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s, grader
Grader
A grader, also commonly referred to as a road grader, a blade, a maintainer, or a motor grader, is a construction machine with a long blade used to create a flat surface. Typical models have three axles, with the engine and cab situated above the rear axles at one end of the vehicle and a third...
s, concrete mixer
Concrete mixer
A concrete mixer is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components...
s and welding
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
equipment. In the absence of a proper stock control system, an overall coordinating agency, and an adequate numbers of engineer depot units, the allocation and distribution of the meager supplies on hand were difficult tasks. The worst problem was spare parts. Equipment was operated around the clock under harsh conditions and soon wore out or broke. A large proportion of equipment became unserviceable for lack of spare parts. Requisitions sent to the United States took months to arrive, so recourse was made to the limited sources of supply in Australia.
In September 1942, MacArthur decided to outflank Japanese troops on the Kokoda Trail by sending an American regimental combat team
Regimental combat team
A regimental combat team was a provisional major infantry unit of the United States Army during the World War II and the Korean War, and of the U.S. Marine Corps to the present day...
over the Owen Stanley Range
Owen Stanley Range
Owen Stanley Range is the south-eastern part of the central mountain-chain in Papua New Guinea. It was seen in 1849 by Captain Owen Stanley while surveying the south coast of Papua and named after him. Strictly, the eastern extremity of the range is Mount Victoria , which was climbed by Sir William...
. Two alternate means of crossing the mountains seemed possible. One, the Kapa Kapa Trail
Kapa Kapa Trail
The Kapa Kapa Trail is a steep, little-used, mountain trail that stretches from the Kapa Kapa village on the south coast of Papua New Guinea, across the extremely rugged Owen Stanley Range, to the vicinity of Jaure on the north side of the Peninsula...
was known to climb to elevations above 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) and present formidable obstacles. The other, known as the Abau Trail held the possibility. Casey and Sverdrup took charge of investigating the Abau Trail. They reached Abau on 18 September. Casey explored the harbor, taking depth soundings from a native canoe. Sverdrup set out for Jaure with a party of one American, two Australians from the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit
Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit
The Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit was a civil administration of Territory of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea formed on 21 March 1942 during World War II...
, ten native police from the Royal Papuan Constabulary
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary is a national police force with jurisdiction throughout all of Papua New Guinea.-History:The RPNGC was formed from two predecessor bodies that existed prior to the independence of Papua New Guinea....
and 26 native carriers. After eight days on the trail, scaling heights of 5000 feet (1,524 m), Sverdrup concluded that it would not be practical for troops to traverse the route and turned back. Meanwhile Casey had concluded that the harbor was too shallow even for lighters
Lighter (barge)
A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...
. However, the trip was not a total loss, for Sverdrup had sighted a plateau north of the Owen Stanley Range suitable for airstrips, allowing troops to be flown across the Owen Stanley Range.
In New Guinea, logistics and construction activities were coordinated by task force engineer staffs. These were often hastily assembled and had not always been able to meet the demands imposed by base development in such a demanding theater of operations. The scale of operations in the Philippines was much greater, so for this purpose the Army Service Command (ASCOM) was formed in Brisbane on 23 July 1944. Casey was appointed to command ASCOM. In his absence, Sverdrup became MacArthur's chief engineer. Although part of USASOS, ASCOM operated under the control of Sixth Army, moving as far forward as combat operations allowed, developed new bases, and operated them until USASOS was ready to take over, at which point the units under ASCOM simply reverted back to USASOS, allowing a seamless transfer of command. For the Battle of Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
Casey's ASCOM had 43,000 men, of whom 21,000 were engineers. Casey and some members of his staff came ashore on A-Day; the advance echelon of his ASCOM headquarters arrived two days later. Work began immediately on the airfield at Tacloban
Tacloban City
The City of Tacloban is a port city approximately 360 miles southeast of Manila. It is the first in Eastern Visayas to be classified as a Highly Urbanized City. It is the capital of the Philippine province of Leyte and is the largest city in terms of population in Eastern Visayas...
, and commenced on airfields in central Leyte soon after they were captured. Heavy seasonal rains thwarted attempts to develop the airbases in central Leyte and it was decided to abandon their development and construct a new airbase on the coast at Tanauan
Tanauan, Leyte
Tanauan is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 45,056 people in 9,224 households.-Barangays:Tanauan is politically subdivided into 54 barangays.* Ada* Amanluran* Arado...
. While suitable from a construction point of view, there was a 250 feet (76.2 m) hill at one end of the runway and the site was already occupied by Sixth Army headquarters. However, the need to get aircraft based on Leyte to stop the Japanese from reinforcing the island was so pressing that Lieutenant General George Kenney
George Kenney
George Churchill Kenney was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II. He was commander of the Allied air forces in the Southwest Pacific Area from August 1942 until 1945.-Early life:...
was persuaded to accept the site, and Lieutenant General Walter Krueger
Walter Krueger
Walter Krueger was an American soldier of German descent and General in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II...
agreed to move his headquarters. Casey had intended to come ashore on the first day of the landing at Lingayen Gulf
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
in January 1945 but was delayed a day because the destroyer he was travelling on had to escort a crippled transport. Despite enormous difficulties ASCOM was able to finish numerous projects on time and some ahead of schedule. On 13 February 1945, ASCOM was transferred to USASOS and redesignated the Luzon Base Section (LUBSEC). Casey then resumed his post as Chief Engineer, GHQ SWPA.
Casey hoped to become Chief of Engineers
Chief of Engineers
The Chief of Engineers commands the US Army Corps of Engineers. As a staff officer at The Pentagon, the Chief advises the Army on engineering matters and serves as the Army's topographer and the proponent for real estate and other related engineering programs....
when Lieutenant General Raymond A. Wheeler retired in 1948, but President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
passed him over in favor of the Missouri River Division Engineer, Major General Lewis A. Pick
Lewis A. Pick
Lewis Andrew Pick was born in Brookneal, Virginia, and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1914. He received his Regular Army commission in the United States Army Corps of Engineers on July 1, 1920....
. Instead, Casey remained in Japan as MacArthur's Chief Engineer until Casey's retirement on 31 December 1949.
Later life
Casey was Chairman of the New York City Transit AuthorityNew York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
from 1953 to 1955, and served in various positions with Schenley Industries
Schenley Industries
Schenley was a liquor company based out of New York, N.Y. with headquarters in the Empire State Building and a distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. It owned several brands of Bourbon whiskey, including Schenley, The Old Quaker Company, Carstairs' White Seal, and possibly others; they also owned a...
from 1951 until his retirement in 1965. He died of a heart attack on 30 August 1981 at the Veterans Administration Hospital at White River Junction, Vermont
White River Junction, Vermont
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States...
. He was survived by his wife Dorothy and his son Keith. His son Hugh had been killed in an air crash during 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...
. Father and son were buried adjacent to each other in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
. His daughter Patricia, who married Major General Frank Butner Clay
Frank Butner Clay
Major General Frank Butner Clay was the son of General Lucius D. Clay, Sr. and the brother of General Lucius D. Clay, Jr.. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery along with his first wife, Patricia Adams Casey Clay...
, the son of Lucius Clay, had died on 1 January 1973, and is also buried in Arlington National Cemetery.