United States Army general
General
Clark Louis Ruffner
(January 12, 1903 ? July 26, 1982) was a senior officer in the
United States Army
who served in
World War II
and the
Korean War
.
Military career
[
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]
Ruffner was born January 12, 1903, in
Buffalo, New York
, and graduated from the
Virginia Military Institute
in 1924. Most of his early career was spent in various cavalry units until his appointment as Assistant Professor of Military Science and Tactics at
Norwich University
in Vermont from 1937 to 1940.
During World War II, Ruffner first served as Assistant Chief of Staff and then Deputy Chief of Staff for
VII Corps
from 1942 to 1943. He then went on to become Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for the
Hawaiian Department
in 1943. From there, Ruffner became Deputy Chief of Staff, Central Pacific Area, from 1943 to 1944, and Chief of Staff for the
United States Army, Pacific
from 1944 until after the end of the war.
At the outbreak of the
Korean War
, Ruffner was Chief of Staff,
X Corps
, but soon took command of the
2nd Infantry Division
in 1951 from where he was a key commander in the conflict. Ruffner's unit occupied the center of the UN line during the
Battle of the Soyang River
during the Chinese spring offensive. After his command, Ruffner spent the remainder of the war in Washington working on International Security Affairs in the office of the Defense Secretary.
In 1954, Ruffner moved back into the Pacific theater where he successively served as Deputy Commanding General and Commanding General for the United States Army, Pacific. From there he became Commanding General,
2nd Armored Division
, from 1954 to 1956, and after a tour in Germany, Commanding General of the
Third United States Army
from 1958 to 1960. During this period, he received promotions to lieutenant general and general. Ruffner concluded his career as United States Representative to
NATO
, and retired in 1962. He died on July 26, 1982.
[1]
Awards and decorations
[
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]
Ruffner's military decorations and service medals include the
Distinguished Service Cross
,
Army Distinguished Service Medal
with two
Oak Leaf Clusters
,
Silver Star
with Oak Leaf Cluster, the
Legion of Merit
with Oak Leaf Cluster, the
Bronze Star Medal
, the
Air Medal
with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the
Army Commendation Medal
, the
World War II Victory Medal
, the
Korean Service Medal
with four bronze service stars, and the
United Nations Service Medal
.
References
[
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]
This article incorporates
public domain material
from the
United States Army
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