Leonard F. Wing
Encyclopedia
Leonard Fish Wing, Sr. was a Vermont
political figure and a division commander in the United States Army
during World War II
.
on November 12, 1893. He graduated from Rutland High School in 1910, and then attended Norwich University
. Afterwards Wing studied law, attaining admission to the bar in 1917.
, served at Fort Ethan Allen
, Vermont, Fort Gordon
, Georgia
, and Fort Dix, New Jersey
. Wing completed officer training, received a commission and attained the rank of First Lieutenant. He served as the supply officer for the 2nd Infantry Replacement Regiment until the end of the war, and was discharged at Fort Dix in December, 1918.
and established a law practice. From 1919 to 1921 he served as Rutland City Attorney, and he was Rutland's City Judge from 1921 to 1925.
Wing was active in Republican
party politics, and served on the state Republican Committee, of which he was Chairman from 1925 to 1929. He also attended numerous state and national party conventions, including serving as a delegate to the 1940 Republican national convention
.
In 1919 Wing joined the Vermont National Guard's 172nd Infantry Regiment as a Second Lieutenant. He rose through the ranks and in 1933 received promotion to Colonel
as the 172nd's commander. That year he earned statewide praise from business owners and condemnation from laborers after leading his regiment to break a strike of Barre
granite workers.
In 1933 Wing was named Executive Assistant to Governor Stanley C. Wilson
, serving until the end of Wilson's term in 1935.
Wing was promoted to Brigadier General
in 1937 as commander of the 86th Infantry Brigade
, at the time a subordinate command of the New England based 43rd Infantry Division.
In 1939 Wing was elected to the Norwich University Board of Trustees.
. In 1942 Wing was named commander of the division's 68th Field Artillery Brigade, and later that year he was appointed the 43rd's Assistant Division Commander. Wing became commander of the division as a Major General
in 1943. He successfully rebuffed attempts to replace him with a regular Army officer, as was done in most divisions, making him one of two National Guard officers to command a combat division in World War II. The other National Guard officer who commanded a combat division, Robert S. Beightler
of the 37th Infantry Division, transferred to the regular Army in 1946, which is likely the source of the claim that Wing was the only National Guard officer to command a combat division in World War II. Wing's success at keeping his command was especially noteworthy because he had been diagnosed with heart disease, and could have asked to be relieved on medical grounds.
The 43rd Division, named "Winged Victory" in honor of its commander, saw action at Guadalcanal
, Rendova, New Georgia
, New Guinea
and Luzon
. It played a vital role in the capture of the Ipo Dam
outside Manila, Philippines, taking the city's main water source intact and breaking Japanese resistance, an action for which it received the U.S. Presidential Unit Citation and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
The 43rd Division served on occupation duty in Japan before being deactivated in October, 1945.
As a result of Wing's death, Ernest W. Gibson, Jr.
, an officer on Wing's staff during the war, ran for the Republican nomination, defeated Governor Proctor, and won the 1946 general election.
, Silver Star
, Legion of Merit
, and Bronze Star.
Norwich University awarded Wing honorary Master of Science (1938) and Master of Military Science (1946) degrees.
Leonard F. Wing, Jr. (1923–2005), also a Norwich University
graduate, and World War II veteran who was taken prisoner by the Germans and later escaped. He became a prominent attorney who served as President of the Vermont Bar Association. The younger Leonard Wing served in the Vermont National Guard, attaining the rank of Brigadier General
as commander of the 86th Armored Brigade
in the late 1960s. In 1991 he endowed the Major General Leonard F. Wing Scholarship at Norwich University.
Bruce Clark Wing was born in Rutland on February 5, 1925, and died in Rutland on May 11, 2000.
Patricia Margaret Wing was born in Rutland in 1926.
The Wing family remained prominent in Vermont legal circles, including Leonard Wing, Jr.'s daughter, Joan Loring Wing, (1948–2009), an attorney in Rutland who served as President of the Vermont Bar Association.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
political figure and a division commander in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life
Leonard Wing was born in Ira, VermontIra, Vermont
Ira is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 432 at the 2010 census. It was named for Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen, who fought with the Green Mountain Boys of the Revolutionary War.-Geography:...
on November 12, 1893. He graduated from Rutland High School in 1910, and then attended Norwich University
Norwich University
Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of...
. Afterwards Wing studied law, attaining admission to the bar in 1917.
World War I Military Service
Wing enlisted in the Army for World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, served at Fort Ethan Allen
Fort Ethan Allen
Fort Ethan Allen was a U.S. army installation in Vermont, named for American Revolutionary War figure Ethan Allen. First serving as a cavalry post in 1894, today it is the center of a designated national historic district straddling the town line between Colchester and Essex...
, Vermont, 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,...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Fort Dix, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Wing completed officer training, received a commission and attained the rank of First Lieutenant. He served as the supply officer for the 2nd Infantry Replacement Regiment until the end of the war, and was discharged at Fort Dix in December, 1918.
Post-World War I
After his discharge Wing returned to RutlandRutland City, Vermont
Rutland is a city in and the shire town of Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 16,495. Rutland is located approximately north of Massachusetts and east of New York state. Rutland is the third largest city in Vermont. It is completely...
and established a law practice. From 1919 to 1921 he served as Rutland City Attorney, and he was Rutland's City Judge from 1921 to 1925.
Wing was active in Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
party politics, and served on the state Republican Committee, of which he was Chairman from 1925 to 1929. He also attended numerous state and national party conventions, including serving as a delegate to the 1940 Republican national convention
1940 Republican National Convention
The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of Indiana for President and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for Vice-President....
.
In 1919 Wing joined the Vermont National Guard's 172nd Infantry Regiment as a Second Lieutenant. He rose through the ranks and in 1933 received promotion to 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...
as the 172nd's commander. That year he earned statewide praise from business owners and condemnation from laborers after leading his regiment to break a strike of Barre
Barre City, Vermont
Barre is a city in Washington County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,291. Barre City is almost completely surrounded by Barre , Vermont, which is incorporated separately from the City of Barre....
granite workers.
In 1933 Wing was named Executive Assistant to Governor Stanley C. Wilson
Stanley C. Wilson
Stanley Calef Wilson was an American politician from Vermont. He served as 62nd Governor of Vermont from 1931 to 1935, and as the 55th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1929 to 1931.-External links:*...
, serving until the end of Wilson's term in 1935.
Wing was promoted to Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A 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...
in 1937 as commander of the 86th Infantry Brigade
86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)
The 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is a Vermont National Guard light infantry brigade. It was reorganized from an armored brigade into a light infantry brigade as part of the United States Army's transformation for the 21st century...
, at the time a subordinate command of the New England based 43rd Infantry Division.
In 1939 Wing was elected to the Norwich University Board of Trustees.
World War II
In 1941 the 43rd Division mobilized for service in the Pacific TheaterPacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
. In 1942 Wing was named commander of the division's 68th Field Artillery Brigade, and later that year he was appointed the 43rd's Assistant Division Commander. Wing became commander of the division as a Major General
Major general (United States)
In 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...
in 1943. He successfully rebuffed attempts to replace him with a regular Army officer, as was done in most divisions, making him one of two National Guard officers to command a combat division in World War II. The other National Guard officer who commanded a combat division, Robert S. Beightler
Robert S. Beightler
Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler was an American military officer and Ohio political insider, engineer, and business owner...
of the 37th Infantry Division, transferred to the regular Army in 1946, which is likely the source of the claim that Wing was the only National Guard officer to command a combat division in World War II. Wing's success at keeping his command was especially noteworthy because he had been diagnosed with heart disease, and could have asked to be relieved on medical grounds.
The 43rd Division, named "Winged Victory" in honor of its commander, saw action at Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
, Rendova, New Georgia
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. It played a vital role in the capture of the Ipo Dam
Ipo Dam
Ipo Dam is a gravity concrete water reservoir dam found in the Philippines. The dam is located about 7.5 kilometers downstream of the Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan province. It was a part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system.-References:*...
outside Manila, Philippines, taking the city's main water source intact and breaking Japanese resistance, an action for which it received the U.S. Presidential Unit Citation and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
The 43rd Division served on occupation duty in Japan before being deactivated in October, 1945.
Post-World War II
After returning home at the end of 1945, Wing spent time in the hospital to recuperate from pneumonia and other ailments. He took part in victory parades throughout New England in November and December, and was elected President of the Vermont Bar Association. He was considered a likely candidate for Governor, and if incumbent Mortimer Proctor adhered to tradition and left office after one term, Wing would likely have won the Republican nomination. In a state where only Republicans held statewide office from the 1850s to the 1960s, Wing would almost certainly have been elected Governor in 1946.Death and political ramifications
Wing's plans to run for Governor were ended when he died of a heart attack at his home in Rutland on December 19, 1945. He was buried in Rutland's Evergreen Cemetery.As a result of Wing's death, Ernest W. Gibson, Jr.
Ernest W. Gibson, Jr.
Ernest William Gibson, Jr. was the 67th Governor of Vermont, a United States Senator and a U.S. federal judge. He was the son of Vermont Senator Ernest W...
, an officer on Wing's staff during the war, ran for the Republican nomination, defeated Governor Proctor, and won the 1946 general election.
Awards and Honors
General Wing's military awards and decorations included the Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal (Army)
The 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...
, Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, 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...
, and Bronze Star.
Norwich University awarded Wing honorary Master of Science (1938) and Master of Military Science (1946) degrees.
Personal
Leonard F. Wing was married twice. In 1919 he married Bernice Kidder (1894-1923), with whom he had a son. In 1924 Wing married Margaret Dorothy Clark (or Clarke) (1897-1960), with whom he had a son and a daughter.Leonard F. Wing, Jr. (1923–2005), also a Norwich University
Norwich University
Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of...
graduate, and World War II veteran who was taken prisoner by the Germans and later escaped. He became a prominent attorney who served as President of the Vermont Bar Association. The younger Leonard Wing served in the Vermont National Guard, attaining the rank of Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A 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...
as commander of the 86th Armored Brigade
86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)
The 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is a Vermont National Guard light infantry brigade. It was reorganized from an armored brigade into a light infantry brigade as part of the United States Army's transformation for the 21st century...
in the late 1960s. In 1991 he endowed the Major General Leonard F. Wing Scholarship at Norwich University.
Bruce Clark Wing was born in Rutland on February 5, 1925, and died in Rutland on May 11, 2000.
Patricia Margaret Wing was born in Rutland in 1926.
The Wing family remained prominent in Vermont legal circles, including Leonard Wing, Jr.'s daughter, Joan Loring Wing, (1948–2009), an attorney in Rutland who served as President of the Vermont Bar Association.