This Military Service Page was created/owned by
MAJ Jeffrey Meyer (Cobra 6)
to remember
Meyer, Leo John, COL USA(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Forest Hills, NY
Last Address Delray Beach, FL
Date of Passing Jan 12, 2006
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Leo and I were good friends at the 116th MI Group before he went to Vietnam. We generally told him he was a damn fool to go since he certainly didn't have to. Further, he wanted a combat billet so he was going to volunteer for Airborne and Special Forces. We chided him that he simply wanted a third CIB and that he would probably come home with his toes pointed up.
I left active duty in July 1968 and went to work for Department of the Army more or less "down the hall" from the 116th. One day there was a hubub in the hall and I heard someone calling my name. Leo burst into my office in his Class-A uniform, boots, and, of course, his green beret, with his ribbons running from his right pocket up to his lapel. He said, "See, I'm back and both my feet are flat on the floor." We went over to the Fort McNair Officers Club and had "a few."
After 33 years in uniform, Leo Meyer enjoyed retirement. He and his wife Vera traveled, purchased their first house and traveled some more, sold a house and became "Snow Birds"; buying two more homes. In support of his art work as a Scrimshander, he set out to go whaling with the whalers of the Azores; onto the ice flows of the Bering Strait with the Yupik walrus hunters of Savoonga, St Lawrence Island, Alaska; and safari in Kenya eastern Africa - always only with a camera.
In 1984 Leo Meyer was one of two hundred and thirty men awarded three Combat Infantryman Badges (CIB), honored by the US Army National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning, Georgia. A monument at the museum is dedicated to all the men who are recipients of three Combat Infantryman Badges.
Colonel Meyer was inurned at Arlington National Cemetery in May 2006. At the time of his death he was survived by his wife of more than 62 years, two children and two grandchildren.
Colonel Meyer was posthumously inducted into the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame, Ft Benning, GA. on March 27, 2009.
But before all that...
New York National Guard In 1935 Leo Meyer joined the New York National Guard Cadet Corps and began attending drill as a drummer in the Regimental Field Music (Band), with the 102nd Engineers in Manhattan and as a mounted trooper with Squadron 'C', 101st Cavalry in Brooklyn. In October 1937 he enlisted into Company "B", 102nd Engineer Regiment, but maintained his status in the NYNG Cadet Corps to continue with the cavalry. By May 1940 he was a corporal with the 102nd Engineers and when called to active duty with the 102nd, he ended his NYNGCC association.
Federalized In October 1940 the 102nd Engineer Regiment, 27th Division, New York National Guard, was called to active federal service by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The division moved from New York to Fort McClellan, Alabama for training. Specifically, the 102d Engineer Regiment marched to the train, seven blocks down 34th Street to Pennsylvania Station while the band played Al Jolson hits like Toot Toot Tootsie Good Bye and Alabamy Bound. During the next fourteen months the division participated in maneuver exercises in Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama. Meyer was assigned duties as 'B' Company Clerk (Cpl) and Company Supply Sergeant (Sgt), 1st Battalion and Regimental Message Center Chief (S/Sgt), and 1st Battalion and Regimental Sergeant Major (M/Sgt).
In November 1941, five weeks after his 24th birthday and two days after becoming the Regiment's Sergeant Major, Meyer reenlisted as a Regular Army master sergeant. Twenty-five days later after the 7 December attack on Pearl Harbor the United States declared war on Japan on 8 December 1941. On 9 December Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. On 14 December 1941 the 27th Division was deployed to California and by early March to the Territory of Hawaii in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
WW II From November 1941 to November 1942 Meyer served as 102nd Engineer Regimental Sergeant Major in Alabama and the re-designated 102nd Engineer (Combat) Battalion Sergeant Major in the Pacific Theater of Operations. In March 1943 he graduated from the U.S. Army Air Forces Officer Candidate School in Miami Beach, Florida. After commissioning, Lieutenant Meyer was assigned to the 26th College Training Detachment, Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio. In May 1944 Meyer transferred to Childress Army Air Field, Texas. After several months involved with preparing air crewman to fight in the war, Meyer volunteered for the Infantry and was sent to Fort Benning for basic infantry officer training. Later, during a cadre assignment at the 60th Infantry Replacement Training Center (IRTC), Camp Blanding, Florida, he volunteered for another combat zone tour.
Historians have paid little attention to combat near the end of WWII after Leyte, Mindoro, and Luzon. The battle for the island of Mindanao during Operation VICTOR V in the Southern Philippines Campaign was some of the most horrific combat under the most insufferable weather and terrain conditions of the war in the Pacific. In June 1945 1stLt Leo Meyer was serving as commanding officer of Company "A", 34th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division on Mindanao. Meyer earned his first Combat Infantryman Badge, two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.
Post War In 1946 after serving in occupied Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan, Captain Meyer 'mustered out' of the Army and returned to civilian life. He enlisted in the Organized Reserve Corps and by June 1947 he was back on active duty as a Regular Army master sergeant. While working as an instructor with the 1242nd ASU, HQ, New York District, Organized Reserve Corps he received his high school GED and applied for the Regular Army Warrant Officer Program and simultaneously, reinstatement of his Army of the United States officer's commission. He received both and put the warrant acceptance in his hip pocket and reinstated as a First Lieutenant on active duty.
Reactivation He was assigned to the HQ 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. He served in the 3rd Battalion 7th Infantry in Korea earning his second Combat Infantryman Badge and Purple Heart with Task Force Dog which relieved 1st Battalion 1st Marines to join the fight supporting the retreating 1st Marine Division;s movement back to the beach during the final days of the battle of the Chosin Reservoir.
Post Korea assignments were as an advisor to the Massachusetts National Guard in Quincy, Massachusetts; Sub-area Staff Officer, Western Region, USAREUR in Bad Kreuznach, Germany; Operations Officer at the Army Disciplinary Barracks in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania; and Post Operations Staff Officer, Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Retire or Reversion to Regular Army In 1961 Major Meyer reached 20 years active federal service and mandatory retirement for reserve officers on the active duty list. He was not ready to hang up the uniform and pulled his Regular Army Warrant Officer acceptance letter from his hip pocket and reverted to Chief Warrant Officer 4.
As a Warrant Officer he was assigned as an Intelligence Technician in Military Intelligence, Counter Intelligence Corps. From 1961 to 1968 Meyer served in the 1st US Army Support Group New York City, New York; 108th Intelligence Corps Group Camden, New Jersey; 401st Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment Honolulu, Hawaii; and the 116th Military Intelligence Group Washington, D. C. In 1967 he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Military Science from the University of Maryland. In 1968 he was assigned temporary duty in the Office of the Secretary of the Defense for Intelligence to update/re-write DoD security regulations. Also in 1968 he volunteered again for service in a combat zone.
Too Old For What? As many of his Korean War friends were now brigade commanders or general officers, Leo Meyer felt he too should continue to contribute and volunteered for combat. In 1968, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Meyer was assigned to Headquarters, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, in Nha Trang, Vietnam. In his 27th year in the active Army and at age 51, Meyer graduated from the RVN Special Forces parachute school, earning his jump wings and Green Beret. In February 1969, working with the 5th Mobile Strike Force B55 he earned his 3rd Combat Infantryman Badge for action on a seek and clear mission against the Viet Cong in the Rung Sat Special Zone, an area in I Corps under the auspicesof the RVN and US navies. In March 1969, while in Vietnam, he was promoted to colonel in the Army Reserve.
And then... Retirement
From 1969 to 1971, CWO4 Meyer was assigned to the 109th Military Intelligence Group at Ft Mead, Md and in Washington, D.C. with the 116th Military Intelligence Group serving as the Group Executive Officer. In 1971, at the end of more than 33 years in an Army uniform, he retired as a colonel.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS AND BADGES
Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) 3rd award
Soldiers Medal
Bronze Star Medal 3rd award
Purple Heart 2nd award
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Joint Services Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal 3rd award
Navy Commendation Medal w/combat V
Good Conduct Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/3Battle Stars
WWII Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal (Japan)
National Defense Service Medal 2nd award
Korean Service Medal w/4 Battle Stars
Vietnam Service Medal w/3 Battle Stars
Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/Gold Hour Glass (3d award)
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry Medal w/Bronze Star
Philippine Liberation Ribbon w/Bronze Service Star
United Nations Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
U.S. Parachutist Badge
Vietnamese Special Forces Parachutist Badge.
UNIT AWARDS
Distinguished Unit Citation (Presidential Unit Citation)for the battle of SEGOK (3Bn/7IN/3rdID- Hill 717, Korea 1951)
Meritorious Unit Commendation (5th SFG(A) Vietnam 1968-69)
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (1BN/34IN/24thID WWII 1945)
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (3BN/7IN/3dID Korea 1950-52)
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/Palm (5th SFG(A) Vietnam 1968-69)
Vietnam Civil Actions Medal 1st Class (5th SFG(A)Vietnam 1968-69)
Executing the last PCS "A Cottonbaler by God, damn fine Soldier"
Meyer, Leo J Colonel US Army Date of Birth: 10/06/1917 Date of Death: 01/12/2006 Buried at: Section 8-J Row 9 Site 2 Arlington National Cemetery
The 3rd Infantry Division is a combined arms division of the United States Army at Fort Stewart, Georgia. It is a direct subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and U.S. Army Forces Command. Its current organization includes a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, two armored brigade combat teams, one National Guard infantry brigade combat team, a task force unit, one aviationbrigade, a division artillery, a sustainment brigade and a combat sustainment support battalion along with a maneuver enhancement brigade. The division has a distinguished history, having seen active service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Global War on Terror. The Medal of Honor has been awarded to 56 members of the 3rd Infantry Division, making the division the most honored in the Army.
The division fought in France in World War I. In World War II, it landed with Gen. Patton's task force in a contested amphibious landing on the coast of Morocco, North Africa, overwhelming Vichy French defenders in November 1942. In 1943, the division invaded Sicily in July, and invaded Italy at Salerno in September, before fighting in France and finally Germany. Medal of honor recipient Audie Murphy, featured in the Hollywood movie, "To Hell and Back," was a member. The division also served in the Korean War. From 1957 until 1996, the division was a major part of the United States Army's presence in the NATO alliance in West Germany.
Nickname(s):
"The Rock of the Marne" (Special Designation), Rock of the Marne
Motto(s);Nous Resterons Là(We Shall Remain There)
NOTABLE PERSON (s):
Commander: Joseph Theodore Dickman (October 6, 1857 - October 23, 1927) was a United States Army officer who saw service in five wars, rising to the rank of major general.Dickman was given command of the 3rd Infantry Division in November 1917, at the onset of the United States' entrance into World War I. He deployed the 3rd Division to France aboard the Leviathan at noon, on March 4, 1918. He was the 3rd Division commander at Chateau-Thierry in May 1918 and was made famous at the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918. While allied forces on both flanks retreated, the 3rd Division stood fast in the face of enemy offensives, which led to their moniker, "The Rock of the Marne."
Howze's last assignment was to preside over the court-martial of Colonel Billy Mitchell, who had made public comments in response to the Navy dirigible USS Shenandoah crashing in a storm
The crash killed 14 of the crew and Mitchell issued a statement accusing senior leaders in the Army and Navy of incompetence and "almost treasonable administration of the national defense." In November 1925 he was court-martialed at the direct order of PresidentCalvin Coolidge.
MOH Recipient : PFC John Lewis Barkley (August 28, 1895 - April 14, 1966) U.S. Army, Company K, 4th Infantry, 3rd Division.
Private First Class Barkley, who was stationed in an observation post half a kilometer from the German line, on his own initiative repaired a captured enemy machinegun and mounted it in a disabled French tank near his post. Shortly afterward, when the enemy launched a counterattack against our forces, Private First Class Barkley got into the tank, waited under the hostile barrage until the enemy line was abreast of him and then opened fire, completely breaking up the counterattack and killing and wounding a large number of the enemy. Five minutes later an enemy 77-millimeter gun opened fire on the tank pointblank. One shell struck the drive wheel of the tank, but this soldier nevertheless remained in the tank and after the barrage ceased broke up a second enemy counterattack, thereby enabling our forces to gain and hold Hill 25.
John Lewis Barkley
MOH Recipient: LT General George Price Hays (September 27, 1892 - August 7, 1978) was a United States Army general who served during World War1and World War11. He earned the Medal of Honor as a young artillery officer during the Second Battle of the Marne in World War I. During World War II, he commanded the 10th Mountain Division in the last few months of the Italian Campaign.
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1917, and by July 14, 1918, was a first lieutenant serving in France With the 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Division. On that day, during the Second Battle of the Marne near Greves Farm, his unit came under a heavy German artillery barrage and the communication lines were destroyed. Despite the intense fire, Hays rode on horseback between his unit, the command post, and two French batteries for the rest of that day and the next. Although he was severely wounded and had seven horses shot out from under him, his efforts contributed to the halt of the German advance. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor the next year, in 1919.
George Price Hays
World War II:
MOH Recipient: PVT Herbert F. Christian (June 18, 1912 - June 3, 1944) For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 2-3 June 1944, at 1 a.m., Pvt. Christian elected to sacrifice his life in order that his comrades might extricate themselves from an ambush. Braving massed fire of about 60 riflemen, 3 machineguns, and 3 tanks from positions only 30 yards distant, he stood erect and signaled to the patrol to withdraw. The whole area was brightly illuminated by enemy flares. Although his right leg was severed above the knee by cannon fire, Pvt. Christian advanced on his left knee and the bloody stump of his right thigh, firing his submachine gun. Despite excruciating pain, Pvt. Christian continued on his self-assigned mission. He succeeded in distracting the enemy and enabled his 12 comrades to escape. He killed 3 enemy soldiers almost at once. Leaving a trail of blood behind him, he made his way forward 20 yards, halted at a point within 10 yards of the enemy, and despite intense fire killed a machine-pistol man. Reloading his weapon, he fired directly into the enemy position. The enemy appeared enraged at the success of his ruse, concentrated 20-mm. machinegun, machine-pistol and rifle fire on him, yet he refused to seek cover. Maintaining his erect position, Pvt. Christian fired his weapon to the very last. Just as he emptied his submachinegun, the enemy bullets found their mark and Pvt. Christian slumped forward dead. The courage and spirit of self-sacrifice displayed by this soldier were an inspiration to his comrades and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the armed forces.
Herbert F. Christian
MOH Recipient: Tech. 5th Grade Eric Gunnar Gibson (October 3, 1919 - January 28, 1944) For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On January 28, 1944, near Isolabella, Italy, Tech. 5th Grade Gibson, company cook, led a squad of replacements through their initial baptism of fire, destroyed four enemy positions, killed 5 and captured 2 German soldiers, and secured the left flank of his company during an attack on a strongpoint. Placing himself 50 yards in front of his new men, Gibson advanced down the wide stream ditch known as the Fosso Femminamorta, keeping pace with the advance of his company. An enemy soldier allowed Tech. 5th Grade Gibson to come within 20 yards of his concealed position and then opened fire on him with a machine pistol. Despite the stream of automatic fire which barely missed him, Gibson charged the position, firing his submachine gun every few steps. Reaching the position, Gibson fired pointblank at his opponent, killing him. An artillery concentration fell in and around the ditch; the concussion from one shell knocked him flat. As he got to his feet Gibson was fired on by two soldiers armed with a machine pistol and a rifle from a position only 75 yards distant. Gibson immediately raced toward the foe. Halfway to the position a machinegun opened fire on him. Bullets came within inches of his body, yet Gibson never paused in his forward movement. He killed one and captured the other soldier. Shortly after, when he was fired upon by a heavy machinegun 200 yards down the ditch, Gibson crawled back to his squad and ordered it to lay down a base of fire while he flanked the emplacement. Despite all warning, Gibson crawled 125 yards through an artillery concentration and the cross fire of 2 machineguns which showered dirt over his body, threw 2 hand grenades into the emplacement and charged it with his submachine gun, killing 2 of the enemy and capturing a third. Before leading his men around a bend in the stream ditch, Gibson went forward alone to reconnoiter. Hearing an exchange of machine pistol and submachine gun fire, Gibson's squad went forward to find that its leader had run 35 yards toward an outpost, killed the machine pistol man, and had himself been killed while firing at the Germans.
Best Friends THIS UNIT IS HQ 7th INFANTRY REGIMENT
Best Moment After Reporting into the 7th INF RGT, he was sent TDY to Ft Benning for the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, but his initial job was in the S1 shop.
Other Memories Established the 7th Infantry Regimental Drum and Bugle Corps, Image below.
MI 
, Image below.