Edward Mallory "Ned" Almond (December 12, 1892 – June 11, 1979) was a controversial
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services...
general best known as the commander of the Army's X Corps during the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
.
Early Biography
Born in
Luray, VirginiaLuray is a town in Page County, Virginia, United States, in the Shenandoah Valley of the northern part of the state. It is also the county seat...
, Almond graduated from the
Virginia Military InstituteThe Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other state military college in the United States, all VMI students are military cadets. VMI offers cadets a...
(VMI) in 1915 and became an infantry officer in 1916, serving in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
with the 4th Division during the final months of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. He graduated from the Command & General Staff School,
Fort LeavenworthFort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active U.S. Army post west of the Mississippi River, in operation for over 170 years...
, Kansas, 1930. After a tour of duty in Philippines he attended the Army War College in 1934. From 1934 to 1938 he was attached to intelligence Division of the General Staff. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in September 1938, he completed the course at
US Navy War CollegeThe Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located in Newport, Rhode Island...
in 1940 and in January 1941 was assigned staff duty at VI Corps HQ,
Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the estimated second or third largest city in the New England region...
. Promoted to the temporary ranks of
ColonelIn 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. It is equivalent to the naval rank of Captain in the other uniformed services...
October 1941,
Brigadier GeneralA 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 services.-...
March 1942, when was named assistant commander of the 92nd Infantry Division located in Arizona.
World War II and Post War
Almond was for a time highly regarded by
George MarshallGeneral of the Army George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense. Once noted as the "organizer of victory" by Winston Churchill for his leadership of the Allied victory in World War II, Marshall served...
, also a VMI graduate, who was
Army Chief of StaffThe Chief of Staff of the United States Army is the highest ranking officer in the United States Army and is member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This was a major part of Almond's promotion to
Major GeneralIn 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. Major general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the...
and subsequent command of the 92nd Infantry Division, made of almost exclusively African-American soldiers, a position he held from its formation in October 1942 until August 1945. He led the division in combat in the
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
campaign of 1944-1945. Chosen by George Marshall for this assignment because Marshall believed Almond would excel at this difficult assignment, Almond performed poorly and went on to blame his poor performance on the fact that the division was made up of largely African-American troops as the source of his failure, and went on to advise the Army against ever again using African-Americans as combat troops.
In 1946 Almond was transferred to Tokyo and became Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Forces Far East under
Douglas MacArthurGeneral of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general, United Nations general, and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and later played a prominent role in the Pacific theater of World War II...
, who took a personal liking to Almond.
Korean War and X Corps
In 1950, MacArthur split
X CorpsList of military corps — List of military corps by numberA number of countries have Tenth, or X, Corps:*X Corps *X SS Corps *X Corps *X Corps *X Corps...
from the 8th Army then placed Almond, who had no experience with amphibious operations, in command of the main landing force just prior the amphibious invasions of Inchon and Wonsan. During this invasion Almond failed to capture most of the opposing North Korean army as they retreated from the 38th parallel to defensive positions above Seoul. During this time, Almond had many conflicts with Major General O. P. Smith, commander of the 1st Marine Division, which was part of X Corps (and therefore under Almond's overall command) from October until December 1950. Likewise Almond had a poor relationship with Lieutenant General
Walton WalkerWalton Harris Walker was an American army officer and the first commander of the U.S. Eighth Army during the Korean War.-Biography:...
, commander of the 8th Army. Almond has been criticized by historians for the wide dispersal of his units during the X Corps invasion of the north-eastern part of North Korea, in November-December 1950. This dispersal contributed to the defeat of X Corps by the Chinese, including the destruction of
Task Force FaithTask Force Faith, also sometimes referred to as Task Force Maclean was a United States Army unit destroyed in fighting at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War between 27 November - 2 December, 1950...
, and the narrow escape of the Marines at the
Battle of Chosin ReservoirThe Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Changjin Lake Campaign , was a decisive battle in the Korean War...
.
Despite his controversial reputation, Almond was retained as X Corps commander by Lieutenant General
Matthew RidgwayMatthew Bunker Ridgway was a United States Army General. He held several major commands and was most famous for resurrecting the United Nations war effort during the Korean War. Several historians have credited Ridgway for turning around the war in favor of the UN side...
when he took command of Eighth Army in December, which now included the X Corps. Although he was regarded by Ridgway as his only aggressive corps commander and took part in the defeat of the Chinese offensives during February and March 1951, as well as the Eighth Army's counter-offensive, Operation Killer, his command was immediately severely reduced by Ridgway. Almond was promoted to Lieutenant General during this time.
Post Korea
In July 1951, Almond became head of the
Army War CollegeThe United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks, a military post dating back to the 1770s. It caters to high-level military personnel and civilians and prepares them for strategic...
. He retired in 1953 and worked in insurance until his death in 1979.
Almond's decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster and the Purple Heart.
- Distinguished Service Cross
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high...
with oak leaf cluster
Army Distinguished Service MedalThe Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
with oak leaf cluster
Silver StarThe Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is also the third highest award given for valor ....
with oak leaf cluster
Purple HeartThe Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
He is buried at
Arlington National CemeteryArlington National Cemetery, in Arlington County, Virginia is a military cemetery in the United States, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a descendant of Martha Washington. The...
.
See also