Biography

Conger was born on November 18, 1923 in Plymouth, Wisconsin

Plymouth, Wisconsin

Plymouth is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, along the Mullet River. The population was 7,781 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located within the Town of Plymouth, but is politically independent...

. He originally entered the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan

University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan

The University of Wisconsin–Sheboygan was established in 1933 in space provided by the Sheboygan School of Technical, Vocational and Adult Education. During its first semester of operation, the campus offered six credits of coursework...

 after high school, but would transfer to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to major in Physics

Physics

Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

. Later he would also attend Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

. Conger was killed on February 12, 1972 in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

 when a plane his was a passenger in crashed at Fulton County Airport

Fulton County Airport (Georgia)

Fulton County Airport at Charlie Brown Field is a local Class D airport located just west of Atlanta, and run by Fulton County of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the nearest airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport , and handles much of the general aviation traffic that would...

. He is buried at 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...

.

Career

Conger graduated from the United States Military Academy

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...

 in 1946. He would be sent to 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...

 during the Occupation and served as a platoon leader in the 25th Infantry Division from 1947 to 1949. From there he was posted at Fort Campbell

Fort Campbell

Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...

 where he served as aide-de-camp to the Assistant Division Commander before being re-assigned to the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment

511th Parachute Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment was a Parachute Infantry unit of the United States Army first activated during World War II. It formed the parachute infantry element of the 11th Airborne Division....

 as a company commander. 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...

 Conger served with the IX Corps and the X Corps. Later Conger joined the Army Special Forces and was assigned to 1st Special Forces Group

1st Special Forces Group (United States)

The 1st Special Forces Group is a U.S. Army Special Forces unit that was activated on 24 June 1957 at Camp Drake, Japan.-Unit history:It was among the first groups of the Special Forces to be officially formed. The group is responsible for operations in the Pacific...

. Conger later would become a battalion commander at Fort Gordon

Fort Gordon

Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in 1917. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps and Signal Center and was once the home of "The Provost Marshal General School" . The fort is located in Richmond, Jefferson, McDuffie,...

. During the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 Conger was assigned the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam

The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, MACV, , was the United States' unified command structure for all of its military forces in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.-History:...

. Conger's final assignment was at the Headquarters of the Third Army. He held the rank of 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...

 at the time of his death.

Awards he received include the Legion of Merit

Legion of Merit

The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...

 with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal

Bronze Star Medal

The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...

 with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal

Air Medal

The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...

, the Army Commendation Medal

Commendation Medal

The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...

 with oak leaf cluster, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross.