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Service Details |
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Last Rank
Colonel
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Last Service Branch
Military Intelligence
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Last Primary MOS
9666-Counterintelligence Officer
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Last MOS Group
Military Intelligence
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Primary Unit
1948-1952, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry
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Service Years
1937 - 1971
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Other Languages
German
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| Official/Unofficial US Army Certificates
Cold War Certificate
Letter of Appreciation
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Personal Details
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Home State
New York | |
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Year of Birth
1917 |
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This Military Service Page was created/owned by
MAJ Jeffrey Meyer (Cobra 6)
to remember
Meyer, Leo John, COL USA(Ret).
If you knew or served with this Soldier and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
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Contact Info
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Home Town
Forest Hills, NY |
Last Address
Delray Beach, FL
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Date of Passing
Jan 12, 2006 |
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Location of Interment
Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia |
Wall/Plot Coordinates
Section J, Column 9, Court 8, Niche 2 |
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Last Known Activity:
PRELUDE
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."
He was quite a soldier.
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 auspices of 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
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Other Comments:
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1937-1940, 290, 1st Battalion, 102nd Engineer Regiment, 102nd Engineer Regiment
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1940-1941, 27th Infantry Division
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1940-1941, HHC, 102nd Engineer Regiment
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1941-1941, HHC, 1st Battalion, 102nd Engineer Regiment
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1941-1942, HHC, 102nd Engineer Regiment
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1942-1943, HHC, 102nd Engineer Battalion
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1943-1943, 2162, 26th College Training Detachment, Mt. Union College, Alliance, OH
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1943-1944, 2120, HQ, 2512th AAF Base Unit, Childress Army Air Field, TX
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1944-1945, 1542, Company D, 60th Infantry Replacement Training Center (IRTC) Camp Blanding, Fl
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1945-1945, A Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry
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1945-1946, 1542, 24th Infantry Division
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1946-1948, First Army (1st Army)
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1948-1949, 1542, 3rd Infantry Division
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1948-1952, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry
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1952-1955, 2510, First Army (1st Army)
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1955-1956, 2180, US Military Community Activity Bad Kreuznach
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1956-1958, US Army Europe (USAREUR)
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1958-1959, 2162, New Cumberland Army Depot
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1959-1961, 11A, ACoS G-3, HQ Army Training Center (Infantry) Fort Dix, NJ
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1961-1963, 108th Military Intelligence Group
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1961-1969, 9307, Individual Ready Reserve (IRR)
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1963-1966, 971A, US Army Hawaii, US Army Pacific (USARPAC)
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1966-1968, 116th Military Intelligence Group
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1968-1968, Department of Defense (DOD)
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1968-1969, Detachment B-55 (5th Mobile Strike Force Command)
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1968-1969, 971A, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
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1969-1970, 971A, 109th Military Intelligence Group
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1969-Present, Individual Ready Reserve (IRR)
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1970-1971, 116th Military Intelligence Group
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Reflections on COL Meyer's
US Army Service
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TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, WHAT INFLUENCED HIS/HER DECISION TO JOIN THE ARMY?
Dad read Kipling's Gunga Din and was impressed with the British Army's polish and pageantry. Films like the anti-war All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Road to Glory (1936), and Grand Illusion (1937), as well as exciting tales like Flight (1930), The Leathernecks Have Landed (1936), and Tell it  | | Marching to Guard Mount at CP Smith, Peekskill, NY |
to the Marines (1926). Other films such as Wings (1927), Hell's Angels (1930), and The Dawn Patrol (1930 & 1938 versions). These are what put the bug into Leo Meyer's head about being a Soldier. But his mother didn't want her only child to join the Army; they compromised, and Leo joined the New York National Guard Cadet Corps, serving with the 102nd Engineer Regimental Field Music (band) and Squadron 'C,' 101st Cavalry. He enjoyed the two-week Active Duty for Training at Camp Smith (cadets received no pay). He would later convince the 102nd Regimental doctor to allow his rather slim stature to pass the enlistment physical. As stated above, Dad had an affinity for the pomp and shine of the British Army. He would spend an hour shining his brass. This always meant removing the lacquer and ensuring the brass buttons would never be tarnished. One day at Ft Dix in 1960, Dad, a major, opened the door of the Army sedan that the Commanding General, MG Sidney C. Wooten, arrived in. As the general was exiting the vehicle, he looked up at Dad's uniform, saw the shiny brass buttons, and promptly said, "Get rid of those buttons." Dad didn't, but he also never opened a door for MG Wooten again. He loved Soldiering and developed the attitude that if something wasn't going well, someone would PCS eventually. His quote was: "The only thing permanent in the Army was CHANGE." Time and again, this proved true, brown shoe to black shoe, 'pinks and greens' to 'Christmas tree' uniforms, etc.
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TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH HE/SHE TOOK IN HIS/HER MILITARY SERVICE. WHERE DID THEY GO FOR BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES OR SQUADRONS WERE THEY ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS HIS/HER REASON FOR LEAVING?
 | | SSgt Meyer, 1st BN Message Center Chief, 102 Eng Rgt on a Harley-Davidson WLA |
Leo Meyer wanted to be a Soldier, period. Getting to be an officer was the icing on the cake. When he reached 20 years on the Active Duty List, he could have retired as an LTC. (the rules were different then) But, he did not want to leave the service, so he reminded the Army that he had also been accepted as a Regular Army Warrant Officer and reverted, changing rank and branch insignia, and within a few weeks, had gone from infantry major to counter intelligence CWO4 (all those years with Time in Grade as a warrant) Remembering the Army is not a democracy and maintaining flexibility, adaptability, and perseverance was the path. He stayed as long as he could and then retired.
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IF HE/SHE PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE YOU FEEL WERE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TO HIM/HER AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY.
It is difficult to speak for my father here. His combat experience in WWII on the island of Mindanao was dangerous. He served as an infantry platoon leader and acting company commander against a tenacious Japanese enemy. He received his first Purple Heart from mortar fragmentation, two Bronze Stars, and  | | SOLDIERS MEDAL |
his first Combat Infantryman Badge. However, his combat experience with the 3rd Battalion 7th Infantry was longer. He had been in the 7th Infantry Regiment for about two years when they deployed from Ft Devens, MA, in August 1950 (about two weeks before my birth). The cold of Chinhung-ni with TF DOG while covering the 1st MARDIV withdrawal from the Changjin Reservoir to Hamhung, living in the same clothing in sub-freezing temperatures for two or more weeks and throwing the soiled longjohns over the ship's rail on December 24th, 1950 in Hamhung harbor. Living with these men with the 1000-yard stare while earning a Distinguished Unit Citation (aka PUC) on Hill 717. Jumping into a swiftly flowing stream as a much taller and 70-pound heavier Captain Al Kielman, who could not swim, struggled for his life; Dad was able to push the larger man toward the shore from underneath and then pull him out onshore. These events and many like them were what he and his friends would reminisce about for years. The camaraderie within the 7th Infantry stayed with him well beyond the end of his active service and until his death. When Soldiers are at war, far away from home, they fight for each other and survive, not for apple pie and home. Their camaraderie is based on blood, sweat, and fear.
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DID THEY ENCOUNTER ANY SITUATION DURING THEIR MILITARY SERVICE WHERE THEY BELIEVED THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY HE/SHE MIGHT NOT SURVIVE. TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME.
- Insertion into North Korea with TASK FORCE DOG: United Nations units assigned to X Corps: Northernmost was the ROK I Corps. To the left (Southern) flank of ROK I Corps was 7ID, and then the 1st MARDIV, who were ultimately intended to tie in with the 8th Army along the Manchurian  | | A squad-sized patrol, led by Sgt Grant J. Miller, from the 3d Infantry Divisions Task Force DOG |
border. 3d Infantry Division assigned as X Corps reserve. The Marines were in contact with Chinese Communist (CHICOM) forces. MG SMITH, 1st MARDIV CDR, realizing his plan to split the Division around the very frozen Chosin Reservoir (lake) and leave one regiment strung out from the southeast end of the reservoir at Hagaru-ri through the mountains and down to his supply dump in Chinhung-ni was a mistake, asked for help from the commander of X Corps. 7ID was ordered to move a Regimental Combat Team (RCT) to the northeast (right) side of the Chosin Reservoir area and conduct a relief in place vicinity of Hudong-ni. RCT31 (Task Force MacLean) began moving south to conduct a relief in place with the 5th Marines. MG Smith did not wait and began repositioning his northeastern RGT to the western (left) side of Chosin Lake before RCT31 began closing on the right side of the lake. This left a gap between the Marine division and the 7ID, which the PRC forces began to fill. RCT31 began to engage with only one infantry battalion forward as well as the Regimental Headquarters. COL MacLean, Commander of RCT31, was never found. LTC Don Faith, Cdr 1Bn 32IN, an element of RCT 31, assumed command of RCT31 and began a withdrawal to Hagaru-ri. The Marines, meeting resistance from Chinese forces, on the west side of the lake were strung out and unable to continue forward as originally missioned on the left side of the lake with the 7th Marines forward followed by the 5th Marines. 1st Marines stayed in place stretched out over many miles down to the supply dump at Chinhung-ni until Task Force DOG executed the relief in place. 3d Division as X Corps reserve landed at Wonsan on the east coast of North Korea on 5 November and received the 65th Infantry Regiment as their third maneuver element before moving north to Hungnam and on to Majon-dong. At Majon-dong, they established a defensive position with the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 7th Infantry on the left flank, the 15th Infantry in the center, and the 65th Infantry on the right flank. Responding to MG Smith's plea for help, 3ID was tasked to provide assistance to the Marine Division. 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry was set as the nucleus for Task Force DOG (see Order of Battle below), which was commanded by Brigadier General Armistead D. Mead, assistant 3rd Division commander. TF DOG was sent north to conduct a relief in place with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment at the Marine supply dump located at Chinhung-ni, the south end of the 1st Marine Division, and support the retreat of 1st Marine Division and remnants of Regimental Combat Team 31 from the fighting at the Chosin Reservoir. According to estimates, the temperature plunged to as low as minus 36'F. 3rd Infantry Division's Task Force DOG supported the 1st Battalion 1st Marines' attack on hill 1081 with indirect fires from the 92nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion and, within a couple of days, became the rearguard keeping the pressure off of the Marine column as it moved to the coast. Prior to movement to Hungnam, CPT Meyer was responsible for running reconnaissance patrols up and down the main supply route (MSR) vicinity of Chinhung-ni, conducting pre-briefs and debriefs for any intelligence collected during the patrols. The 1st MARDIV began arriving at Chinhung-ni around the 9th of December and loaded, with their dead, onto trucks of TF DOGs 52nd Transportation Truck Battalion and moved slowly to the coast. By 11 December, the Marines cleared Chinhung-ni. For TF DOG, it was a long, slow, freezing walk to the coast with intermittent skirmishes with the CHICOM forces. Upon arrival vicinity, Hungnam TF DOG ceased to exist, and all elements returned to their parent units. X Corps established a collapsing perimeter around the port of Hungnam until the last of UN Forces, 105,000 Soldiers, and their heavy equipment, and approximately 98,000 civilian refugees were evacuated from the beach on 195 vessels. First out were the Marines with RCT31, civilian refugees and the ROK I Corps, 7th ID, and lastly, 3ID. CPT Meyer got aboard the ship as the port of Hungnam blew up. His first order of business was to throw his well-abused long johns overboard, sit down on the deck, and eat his C - ration for Christmas Eve dinner. ORDER OF BATTLE: Task Force Dog (2 through 11 December 1950) Detachment Headquarters (HQ), 3d Infantry Division (and a detachment from the tactical command post) 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment 92nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion (Self-propelled [SP] 155mm howitzers) 52nd Truck Transportation Battalion Company A, 10th Engineer Combat Battalion Company A, 73rd Engineer Combat Battalion 3rd Platoon, 3rd Reconnaissance Company HQ Detachment, 3d Antiaircraft Artillery (AAA), Automatic Weapons (AW) Battalion (SP) Detachment, 3rd Division Ordnance Bomb Disposal Unit Detachment, 3rd Signal Company Detachment, Tactical Air Control Party Company G, 65th RCT General Support 999th Field Artillery Battalion, General Support Reinforcing (GSR)
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OF ALL THEIR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY HE/SHE HAD FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS THEIR LEAST FAVORITE?
The 401st CIC Det in Honolulu, Hawaii. Because it was HAWAII! In Hawaii, Soldiers would often feel claustrophobic and island-bound. Face it; you can't just jump in the car and go to Vegas. Dad had always spent a lot of time in the post-craft shop. He learned how to do  | | Leo Meyer Scrimshaw |
Scrimshaw (an original American art scratching images onto whales' teeth) from a professional in Honolulu, and in later years, he would sell some as jewelry or just pieces of art. The important thing is to develop hobbies. Even your family needs to have something to do. He got me involved in the Ft Shafter swim team, and I also spent time surfing; the latter was not just for kids. Each assignment was challenging and fun in its own way, but perhaps with the 108th MI in NYC. This was where he had left it all behind in 1940 and where he didn't want to be. But leaving the family in NJ (daughter in high school), living at his mother's home in Queens, NYC, and using public transportation sucked. Dad swung a transfer to the Camden Field Office and had to travel more than six miles to work for the first time in his career.
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FROM THEIR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY PERSONAL MEMORIES, YOU MAY BE AWARE OF, WHICH IMPACTED HIM/HER THE MOST.
I really can't be sure, but when I was almost 60, Dad told me about this. In a bunker somewhere in Korea housing the 3d Battalion, 7th INF HQ, Dad dropped something to the ground; just as he bent to pick it up, the sound of a crack and  | | Airborn Chief |
thud indicated the enemy had just fired one round through the narrow viewport in the bunker. After crouching, waiting to see if there would be more, he stood and looked around for the point of impact. He realized that had he not bent over at that moment, the impact would have been in his head. Dad was 51 years old in Vietnam and assigned to HQ 5th SFG(A) in Nha Trang. He had always been a "LEG." However, he was told by the Group CSM that he could not wear the Green Beret because he was not "Jump Qualified." So he had to wear the awful fatigue baseball cap. Being Assigned to, and not attached to, HQ 5SFGA was unusual for his duty assignment. He was there to replace his friend CWO4 Clarence Kawahigashi, 613 MI Det, as the S2 Collections Officer. As Mr. Kawahigashi was not leaving right away, Dad went to the Nha Trang Mobile Strike Force, B55, as the Assistant S2/ Mortar Fire Direction Center Chief (FDC) and got involved in OP AAR Rooster II in the Rung Sat Special Zone. There, he earned his 3d CIB and a Navy Commendation Medal with a 'V' device. In April 1969, he asked to attend the RVN SF Jump School in Dong Ba Thin. COL Aaron, Group Commander, questioned his age, and Dad said to let the medics determine his fitness. He successfully completed the course in May and got his jump wings and green beret. His very close old friend, LTC Wess Herrlein (Commander B-41 at Moc Hoa), who was severely wounded on this day and MEDEVAC'd to the States, obviously missed the final jump that he would have participated in. A few years later, at LTC Herrlein's retirement at the USAJFKSWCS, Ft Bragg, Army Special Forces HALO jumpers would pass a baton in mid-fall with the inscription, "COL Leo J. Meyer, Cherry Jumper."
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WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS DO YOU BELIEVE HE/SHE WAS MOST PROUD OF FROM HIS/HER MILITARY SERVICE?
Serving in three wars with a CIB for each and being one of the few in the Army at that time to have earned three and lived to celebrate it. Doesn't get much better than that, but making O6 helped. As of today, in October 2023, his bride is 102 years young. His 63 years with her made coming home very worthwhile.
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OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES HE/SHE RECEIVED, WHICH WERE THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO HIM/HER AND WHY?
As with many infantrymen, the Combat Infantryman Badge is his most cherished award (NOT a qualification badge). He was proud to have received three. The 1st and 2nd CIBs were only for infantrymen, of which Dad was one. By the time Vietnam rolled around, the Army Regulation had been amended  | | 22 Mar 1969, LTG Weyand stops in SVN for update briefings at HQ 5th SFG(A) in Nha Trang. |
to include personnel assigned to Special Forces immaterial of basic branch. But each award of the CIB meant that he had closed with the enemy and returned fire in combat. He had survived three wars, and surviving is important. As a Counter Intelligence Technician in Washington DC his duty uniform was civilian coat and tie. In the early 1970s his unit began a uniform day every week; the day was Wednesday and people paid attention. Obviously, the Soldiers Medal meant a lot to him (5'8", 142 lbs) to have been able to save his friend, CPT Al Kielman (6'2", 200 lbs), from drowning. Receiving his Jump Wings at age 51 in Vietnam was a pretty good accomplishment, but receiving the Beret was special. In the photo - LTG Frederick Weyand, coming from Paris Peace Talks, stops in South Vietnam for update briefings. Here, he is greeted by an old friend from the 7th IN Rgt during the Korean War, CWO4 Leo Meyer, HQ 5th SFG(A) S2 Collections Officer. To the Left is LTC Kenneth Facey, 5th Grp DCO. Behind LTG Weyand is BG James Kalergis, First Field Force's Chief of Staff.
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IF KNOWN, PLEASE LIST ANY INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM HIS/HER TIME IN THE MILITARY WHO STOOD OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEM AND WHY?
 | | New MSG Nov 41 RGTL SGTMAJ |
CPT Herbert B. "Tootie" Stills - Mentor, Friend, Advisor; ensured Leo Meyer was trained to assume positions of greater responsibility from corporal to master sergeant. Within 13 months, Leo Meyer advanced from Company Clerk to Battalion Message Center Chief and Battalion Sergeant Major to Regimental Message Center Chief and Regimental Sergeant Major. How did this happen so quickly? WWI Vets were getting older and pretty much not wanting to go into war again went home when their time was up having sufficient creditable years could retire and, doing so, vacated positions of responsibility between October 1940 and October 1941 when the President of the United States extended the Federal activation of the National Guard for an additional 6 months. The writing was on the wall, and jobs became available. Having a mentor and advisor overseeing your training was, of course a big help.
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IF KNOWN, PLEASE RECOUNT THE NAMES OF FRIENDS HE/SHE SERVED WITH, AT WHICH LOCATION, AND WHAT WAS REMEMBERED MOST ABOUT THEM. INDICATE THOSE HE/SHE REMAINED IN TOUCH WITH.
My father stayed in touch over the years via US mail with those he served with in WWII and Korea and later assignments. He would exchange correspondence regularly and, on occasion, visit with them, especially after retirement. Ray Tabbi (COL MI Ret); dad served with him as an advisor with the  | | 1Lt Meyer 1946 |
MANG 1952-55. Ray would get Dad assigned to Hawaii in 1963 and be a neighbor on Ft Shafter, sharing cocktail hours a couple of times a week. Robert Levergood (LTC IN Ret); Bob worked with Dad at Ft Dix G3. Later, Bob was at the 25th Division at Schofield BKS in Hawaii, and they partied frequently. The 25th was well on it's way to South Vietnam in 1965 and dad saw the family off to the mainland and got their car shipped too after Bob was in Vietnam. Wes Herrlein (LTC IN (SF) Ret): They worked together at Ft Dix. Wes (Cmdr B41 Moc Hoa) was instrumental in getting Dad to his assigned billet with the 5th SFG in Vietnam. Many parties together. Wes attended Dad's Ft Myer retirement in 1971, and a year or so later, Dad attended his retirement where Wes had arranged for the High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) team to pass a baton with the inscription, "COL Leo J Meyer Cherry Jumper.’' Gordon Brown (CWO3 MI Ret) worked together in the 401st MI Det Hawaii. Partied there, also in Oxon Hill and Crofton Md and in West Palm, FL. There were so many from the greatest generation over 30 years, not one teetotaler, but they are all gone now.
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ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM HIS/HER SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MADE THEM LAUGH LATER ON?
In 1961, Dad was a 5'8", 146-pound major assigned to the Ft Dix Post Headquarters G3 staff. Ft Dix played host to the 1961 Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) or International Military Sports Council (IMSC) Boxing Championships. Dad was assigned to escort and be the liaison for the Egyptian  | | 1935 Braddock Vs Baer heavyweight bout. Baer swings a right that misses. |
Team. One of the events held on the post was a dinner at the Officer's Club with a cocktail hour preceding dinner. As an honored guest attending the boxing matches was the former 1935-1937 Heavyweight Champion of the World, 6'2" James J. "Cinderella Man '' Braddock, who had taken the title away from Max Baer. During the early hour, Dad was retrieving drinks from the bar for a few fellows and came across Jim Braddock, at which time he took the opportunity to tell the former champ, "You're a bum." Braddock was taken aback by this short fellow and, looking down upon the smaller man, asked, "Why am I a bum?" Dad, ever a great storyteller, began to explain that before his military career started, he was a clerk in an insurance company in New York City, making $25 a week and that on June 13, 1935, he sought to increase his payday by betting the whole wad on Max Baer to win. Of course, Baer lost, and that is why Jim Braddock was a bum. Braddock enjoyed the story so much that he asked Dad to tell it to his wife and escorted Dad to their table.
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IF HE/SHE SURVIVED MILITARY SERVICE, WHAT PROFESSION(S) DID HE/SHE FOLLOW AFTER DISCHARGE?
 | | Retirement Ceremony, Ft Myer March 1971 |
When my father retired from the Army, he said two things... "I gave the Army 30 years of my life, and now they are going to give me 30 years." And "I don't want to have to ask a boss for two weeks' vacation." Retiring as a COL, Dad made $17.00 more a month than he did as an active duty CWO4 with 30 years. But it got better. He did not work for anyone. Instead, he practiced his Art (Scrimshaw), built bookshelves, and did other woodworking and artsy projects. He built a dollhouse for his adult daughter to decorate, as decorating was her livelihood with the US State Department and her hobby. He and Mom traveled and enjoyed life for 35 years.
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IF KNOWN, WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS WAS HE OR SHE A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY SPECIFIC BENEFITS THEY DERIVED FROM THEIR MEMBERSHIPS?
After WWII, he joined the 24th Infantry Division Association for a short time.
He joined the Special Forces Association for a time, but he did not pursue long-time membership as his buddies began to drop out.
When the 7th Infantry Regiment (Cottonbalers) established their association, he attended every year his health allowed him to. The benefits were self-evident, an opportunity to check on everyone's health, to see how they were all aging and who would be missed, to learn of the inevitable changes in the Army from the next generation, and to reminisce with the "old farts."
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IF HE/SHE SURVIVED MILITARY SERVICE, IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU BELIEVE HIS/HER SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY THEY APPROACHED THEIR PERSONAL LIFE, FAMILY LIFE AND CAREER?
 | | The Final PCS |
He wanted to be a SOLDIER, nothing but. He developed the attitude that someone or something could pile the shit up to his nose, and eventually, a PCS would fix the situation. Just persevere.
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IF THEY WERE HERE TODAY, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU THINK HE OR SHE WOULD GIVE TO THOSE WHO FOLLOWED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS AND RECENTLY ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE?
!. Remember two phrases: "Yes Sir" and "No Sir" and use them appropriately. Substitute Ma'am as the situation dictates. Also, remember the Army is not a Democracy. And; 2. To young officers and what he said to me; "Listen to your NCOs who have the experience."
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HOW EFFECTIVE HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM BEEN IN HELPING YOU RECORD YOUR REMEMBERED PERSONS MILITARY SERVICE? DO YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE?
Dad frequently wrote letters to his buddies and always looked forward to seeing association members at annual meetings. He would have very much enjoyed the simple way to stay in touch through TWS. KC 4.16.24
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