Bradley, Omar

Bradley, Omar (Nelson) (1893–1981) soldier; born in Clark, Mo. The son of a schoolteacher, he graduated from West Point in 1915 and rose slowly through the grades in the peacetime army. A protégé of the army chief of staff, George C. Marshall, Bradley succeeded George C. Patton in command of the II Corps in 1943 and led it in the Tunisia and Sicily campaigns. He commanded the U.S. 1st Army in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. On August 1 he assumed command of the 12th Army Group in France; with 1.4 million combat troops, it became the largest field command in U.S. history, which he commanded until the surrender of Germany in May 1945. A hard-working, unassuming officer, known as the "GI general" for his concern for the welfare of ordinary soldiers, he earned a high reputation for his handling of large forces in battle. He later served as head of the Veterans Administration (1945–47) and as army chief of staff (1948–49). In 1949 he became the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired in 1953, and held a series of public and private posts during his late years.