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American Army general (1923–2020)
Frederick James Kroesen Jr. (11 February 1923 – 30 April 2020) was a United States Army four-star general who served as the Commanding General of the Seventh United States Army and the commander of NATO Central Army Group from 1979 to 1983, and Commanding General, United States Army Forces Command from 1976 to 1978. He also served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1978 to 1979. He commanded troops in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, enabling him to be one of the very small number who ever was entitled to wear the Combat Infantryman Badge with two Stars, denoting active combat in three wars.
Kroesen was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey,[1][2] the son of Jean (Shillinger) and Frederick Kroesen, who worked for the New Jersey state government.[3] His paternal ancestor, Garret Dircksen Kroesen (1638–1680) arrived in America (New Netherland) from the Netherlands around 1661. Kroesen moved to the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey as a child and he attended Trenton Central High School.[4] A 1944 graduate of Rutgers University, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture. He earned Bachelor of Arts (1962) and Master of Arts (1966) degrees in International Affairs at George Washington University. In addition, he was also a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity to which his membership traces back to his days at Rutgers University.
In 1944 Kroesen was commissioned through the Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, then fought in World War II with the 254th Infantry Regiment of the 63rd Infantry Division. He was a company grade officer, serving as platoon leader and company commander, in the fighting in the Colmar Pocket and into Germany. On the 26 and 27 January 1945,[5] he participated in the particularly tough fighting in Jebsheim.
During the Korean War Kroesen served in Korea with the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team.
Kroesen was the commander of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade of the 23rd Infantry Division in 1968. He was an adviser to the assistant chief of staff, J-3, in Vietnam, and then served there as commander of the 23rd Infantry Division; deputy commander, XXIV Corps; and commanding general, First Regional Assistance Command.
After returning from Vietnam, Kroesen served as Deputy Commander, XXIV Corps (1972), Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division (1972–1974), Deputy Commanding General, V Corps (1974–1975) and Commanding General, VII Corps (1975–1976).
In 1976 Kroesen was promoted to the rank of four star general (O-10), becoming the first Officer Candidate School (OCS) graduate to hold that rank. He then served as Commanding General, United States Army Forces Command (1976–1978) and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1978–1979).
Red Army Faction attack[edit]From 1979 to 1983 Kroesen served as commander of United States Army Europe and a commander of the Seventh United States Army.
As Commander of the United States Army Forces CommandKroesen was injured in Heidelberg on 15 September 1981, when his armoured Mercedes[6] was targeted with an RPG-7 anti-tank rocket. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the "Kommando Gudrun Ensslin" of the Red Army Faction (aka Baader-Meinhof Gang).[7][8] In 1991, West German prosecutors announced that former East German secret police leader Erich Mielke had been indicted for collusion with the attack.[9]
After retiring from the army in 1983, Kroesen became a businessman.[10] He was chairman of the board of Military Professional Resources Inc. (incorporated in 1987) and a senior fellow at the Institute of Land Warfare of the Association of the United States Army. He was a vice-president of the American Security Council Foundation. General Kroesen was a Compatriot of the George Washington Chapter of the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution based on the service of his ancestor, Johannes Kroesen, who served as a second lieutenant in the Bucks County Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War.[11][12]
Kroesen died in Alexandria, Virginia, on 30 April 2020, at the age of 97 after a long illness.[3][13] He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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