Theodore J. Conway
Encyclopedia
Theodore John Conway was a United States Army
four star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Strike Command
/U.S. Commander in Chief, Middle East, Africa south of the Sahara, and South Asia (USCINCSTRIKE/USCINCMEAFSA) from 1966 to 1969. Conway was born on July 24, 1909, and graduated from the United States Military Academy
in 1933. In addition to Strike Command, Conway also commanded the 82nd Airborne Division and later the United States Seventh Army in N.A.T.O. He was promoted to four star rank on November 1, 1966, and retired from the army in 1969. Conway died on September 11, 1990, and was buried in San Francisco National Cemetery
.
Conway graduated from Galileo High School (San Francisco) in 1927. He enlisted in the Army as a Private at the Presidio of San Francisco
and in 1929 received an appointment to West Point from the Honorable Richard T. Welch, 5th Congressional District, California. At West Point, Ted displayed the qualities that would become his hallmark in later years: well-rounded, industrious, good-natured, understanding.
Following graduation, Conway reported to Fort Benning, Georgia in the fall of 1933 and soon married Eleanor Mitchell Wright in 1935. In 1937-38 he was detailed to Paris as a language student, then sent to West Point for three years as a French instructor.
During that period he served with the 9th Infantry Division, VI Army Corps, and Headquarters, Fifth US Army. His service included battalion and regimental command and duty as aide-de-camp to British General Sir Harold Alexander. He was also one of the American officers who planned the Commando raid at Dieppe and participated as a shipboard observer on the British destroyer Alderney during that operation.
Conway went (at age 43) to the Army Airborne School and qualified as a parachutist before reporting to Fort Campbell to command the 188th Airborne Infantry Regiment. Later he became chief of staff of the 11th Airborne Division. He served next with a NATO command, Allied Land Forces, Central Europe (ALFCE), with headquarters at Fontainebleau
, France.
Returning to the Pentagon in 1955, Conway was promoted to brigadier general and served as Director of Army Research. In 1959-60 he was with Korean Military Advisory Group
(KMAG) in Wonju, Korea. In 1961 he was promoted to Major General and assumed command of the 82d Airborne Division. In 1962 he was posted to Bangkok as chief, U.S. Advisory Group, Thailand, and in 1963 to Seoul, South Korea, where he was promoted to lieutenant general and became deputy commanding general, Eighth U.S. Army.
Back to the Pentagon in 1965, General Conway became Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development. Upon leaving this assignment he became commanding general of the Seventh United States Army Europe
in Germany.
His final active-duty assignment followed his promotion to full General in the summer of 1966, when he served as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Strike Command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base
near Tampa, Florida
. He was concurrently commander-in-chief, Middle East, Southern Asia and Africa South of the Sahara. During this period he was honored as the Kermit Roosevelt Exchange Lecturer to the United Kingdom for 1969.
General Conway retired in July 1969, having completed more than 42 years of distinguished service to his country. He then took an M.A. in international relations at the University of South Florida in 1975 followed by a Ph.D. in military history from Duke University
in 1985 at the age of 75.
His Army remembrance recalls “a dedicated professional soldier, a man who truly ‘filled the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run.’ Yet no less significant were the human and humane qualities of this warm and generous man – his enthusiasm, his keen sense of unfailingly good humor, even in the face of adversity, his attributes as a cherished son, husband, father, comrade and friend. In these respects, no less than for his brilliant career, he is a shining light in the memories of those who knew him.”
It should be noted that beyond his many military and academic honors, Conway was especially proud of being one of the few members in the history of America’s Armed Forces to have held both the lowest (Private) and highest (full General) regular ranks in the Army. He was also in 1985 the oldest person to ever earn a doctorate at one of the nation’s finest educational institutions (Duke University). He was also a licensed amateur radio operator (W4EII), skilled in the use of Morse Code, and a formidable runner, tennis player and skydiver.
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...
four star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Strike Command
United States Strike Command
In 1961 the United States Strike Command was established at MacDill Air Force Base as a unified combatant command capable of responding to global crises. The name of the command was originally derived from the acronym for Swift Tactical Reaction In Every Known Environment...
/U.S. Commander in Chief, Middle East, Africa south of the Sahara, and South Asia (USCINCSTRIKE/USCINCMEAFSA) from 1966 to 1969. Conway was born on July 24, 1909, and graduated from the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1933. In addition to Strike Command, Conway also commanded the 82nd Airborne Division and later the United States Seventh Army in N.A.T.O. He was promoted to four star rank on November 1, 1966, and retired from the army in 1969. Conway died on September 11, 1990, and was buried in San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery is a U.S. National Cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the city....
.
Early life
Theodore John Conway was born in Vallejo, CA on July 24, 1909, the son of Theodore Allen Barnewitz and Ruth Irene Quinn. His father died when Ted was 5, and his mother married U.S. Army Captain William L. Conway.Conway graduated from Galileo High School (San Francisco) in 1927. He enlisted in the Army as a Private at the Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
and in 1929 received an appointment to West Point from the Honorable Richard T. Welch, 5th Congressional District, California. At West Point, Ted displayed the qualities that would become his hallmark in later years: well-rounded, industrious, good-natured, understanding.
Following graduation, Conway reported to Fort Benning, Georgia in the fall of 1933 and soon married Eleanor Mitchell Wright in 1935. In 1937-38 he was detailed to Paris as a language student, then sent to West Point for three years as a French instructor.
World War II
During World War II, Conway held a succession of key assignments, starting in London in 1942, then in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Southern France, and back to Italy, where he finished the war with the Fifth United States Army near Verona in Northern Italy.During that period he served with the 9th Infantry Division, VI Army Corps, and Headquarters, Fifth US Army. His service included battalion and regimental command and duty as aide-de-camp to British General Sir Harold Alexander. He was also one of the American officers who planned the Commando raid at Dieppe and participated as a shipboard observer on the British destroyer Alderney during that operation.
Post-War
After the war, he was assigned to the Strategic Plans Branch of Operations Division (OPD). In 1948, Conway attended the Armed Forces Staff College and then served as instructor, returning to Washington in 1950 to attend the National War College.Conway went (at age 43) to the Army Airborne School and qualified as a parachutist before reporting to Fort Campbell to command the 188th Airborne Infantry Regiment. Later he became chief of staff of the 11th Airborne Division. He served next with a NATO command, Allied Land Forces, Central Europe (ALFCE), with headquarters at Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
, France.
Returning to the Pentagon in 1955, Conway was promoted to brigadier general and served as Director of Army Research. In 1959-60 he was with Korean Military Advisory Group
Korean Military Advisory Group
The Korean Military Advisory Group was a United States military unit of the Korean War...
(KMAG) in Wonju, Korea. In 1961 he was promoted to Major General and assumed command of the 82d Airborne Division. In 1962 he was posted to Bangkok as chief, U.S. Advisory Group, Thailand, and in 1963 to Seoul, South Korea, where he was promoted to lieutenant general and became deputy commanding general, Eighth U.S. Army.
Back to the Pentagon in 1965, General Conway became Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development. Upon leaving this assignment he became commanding general of the Seventh United States Army Europe
United States Army Europe
United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army and the land component of United States European Command. It is the largest American formation in Europe.-Invasion of Sicily:...
in Germany.
His final active-duty assignment followed his promotion to full General in the summer of 1966, when he served as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Strike Command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
near Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. He was concurrently commander-in-chief, Middle East, Southern Asia and Africa South of the Sahara. During this period he was honored as the Kermit Roosevelt Exchange Lecturer to the United Kingdom for 1969.
General Conway retired in July 1969, having completed more than 42 years of distinguished service to his country. He then took an M.A. in international relations at the University of South Florida in 1975 followed by a Ph.D. in military history from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1985 at the age of 75.
Decorations
General Conway’s decorations included the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster; Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters; French Legion of Honor; French Croix de Guerre with Palm; Czech-Slovak Military Cross; Polish Golden Cross of Merit with Swords; British OBE; Italian Order of the Crown; and the (US Army) Distinguished Service Medal.Family Life
Ted and Eleanor Conway had three children, Laura Mitchell Conway, Ruth Quinn Conway and John Wright Conway. John, a veteran of Vietnam (3d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division), was killed in a parachute accident in 1977.His Army remembrance recalls “a dedicated professional soldier, a man who truly ‘filled the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run.’ Yet no less significant were the human and humane qualities of this warm and generous man – his enthusiasm, his keen sense of unfailingly good humor, even in the face of adversity, his attributes as a cherished son, husband, father, comrade and friend. In these respects, no less than for his brilliant career, he is a shining light in the memories of those who knew him.”
It should be noted that beyond his many military and academic honors, Conway was especially proud of being one of the few members in the history of America’s Armed Forces to have held both the lowest (Private) and highest (full General) regular ranks in the Army. He was also in 1985 the oldest person to ever earn a doctorate at one of the nation’s finest educational institutions (Duke University). He was also a licensed amateur radio operator (W4EII), skilled in the use of Morse Code, and a formidable runner, tennis player and skydiver.