Joseph P. Cleland

Joseph P. Cleland (March 2, 1901 – March 28, 1975) was a career officer in the United States Army. A 1925 graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point), he served until 1955 and was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. Cleland attained the rank of major general, and his commands included the 103rd Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division, IX Corps, 1st Cavalry Division, and XVIII Airborne Corps. His awards and decorations included the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Soldier's Medal, and Bronze Star Medal.

A native of Holdrege, Nebraska, Cleland was raised and educated in Omaha and attended Kemper Military School, from which he graduated in 1921. He then attended the United States Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1925 as a second lieutenant of Infantry. Initially assigned to the 17th Infantry, Cleland served at several posts in the western United States. During the 1930s, he served in the Philippines and Panama, and attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College.

During World War II, Cleland served as chief of staff for the 43rd Infantry Division, then commanded the division's 103rd Infantry Regiment during combat in the Philippines. He ended the war as a temporary brigadier general and deputy commander of the 43rd Division, and he subsequently served in Japan during the post-war occupation.

After the war, Cleland volunteered for parachutist training, after which he commanded the 504th Airborne Infantry Regiment and 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. During the Korean War, he commanded the 40th Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division and IX Corps. After the war he commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps.

Cleland retired in 1955 and was the owner and operator of a farm in Bedford, Virginia. In addition, he served as president of Kemper Military School from 1957 to 1959. After a period of declining health, in the early 1970s Cleland sold the farm and retired to Belleair, Florida. He died in Belleair on March 28, 1975, and was buried at West Point Cemetery.

Early life

Joseph Pringle Cleland was born in Holdrege, Nebraska on March 2, 1901, the son of Joseph Pringle Cleland (1863–1946) and Effie (Geddes) Cleland. The senior Joseph Cleland was a career employee of the United States Post Office Department, and served at the U.S. post office in Vladivostok during the post-World War I Siberian intervention. The junior Cleland's older sister Effie was a teacher and social worker who joined the American Red Cross for World War I and helped operate Morale, Welfare, and Recreation facilities in Belgium, France, and post-war Germany.

Cleland was raised and educated in Omaha, Nebraska, and in 1919 began attendance at Boonville, Missouri's Kemper Military School. He graduated in 1921 and attained the rank of cadet senior captain, the highest student rank. In addition, he received athletic letters for football and basketball, as well as prizes for debate and scholarship. Cleland graduated from West Point in 1925 ranked 207 of 244, and received his commission as a second lieutenant of Infantry.

Start of career Initially assigned to the 17th Infantry Regiment, Cleland served at Fort Omaha, (1925–1926), Fort Leavenworth (1926), and Fort Crook (1926–1928). From May 1933 to May 1936, he was assigned to the 29th Infantry Regiment, the unit that supported the Infantry School by training infantry soldiers and leaders, demonstrating tactics, and testing innovations in military vehicles and equipment. From November 1941 to July 1942, he was assigned as assistant military attaché in Bogotá, Colombia.

In November 1943, Cleland was assigned as chief of staff of the 43rd Infantry Division, then located on the island of Munda. Over time, the Clelands renovated the main house, constructed new outbuildings, and developed the farm into a successful venture, which they operated until they sold it in 1972.

Army Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster Soldier's Medal Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal American Defense Service Medal Army of Occupation Medal (Japan) Combat Infantryman Badge Parachutist Badge

His foreign awards included: