Lieutenant General Thomas H. Tackaberry passes

From the Fayetteville Observer comes the sad news that Lieutenant General Thomas H. Tackaberry has passed at the tender age of 93 years. He enlisted during World War II and retired as the commander of the XVIIIth Airborne Corps in 1981. He was one of the most decorated general officers;

…three Distinguished Service Crosses, five Silver Stars, a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Soldier’s Medal, among many others — provide the full measure of a man long devoted to his country and his family.

“He never talked about his awards,” said retired Brig. Gen. Burt Tackaberry, one of his oldest sons. “He was very humble. He knew what he achieved, but was very quiet about it.”

[…]

“He loved soldiers, and he loved his children,” Brig. Gen. Tackaberry said. “He gave both a lot of latitude and a lot of responsibility, and he expected you to get the job done.”

“He was a soldier’s soldier,” his son added.

A September 1979 copy of The Fayetteville Times called Lt. Gen. Tackaberry a “grunt’s angel.”

“That’s what they call a leader who goes out of his way to see his troops have enough beans and bullets to carry them through the long trek and the fight to follow,” the author of the profile wrote.

The citations for his valor awards are listed at the Military Times Hall of Valor.

Category: We Remember