Evening star., 1932-02-25
ARMY STAFF POST
GIVEN K|LBOURNE
Virginian With EnviabIe War
Record Will Head Plans
Division.

Brig Gen. Charles E. Kilbourne, one
of the few Army officers awarded all three
of the highest medals for conspicuous and
meritorious conduct in action, has been
assigned to be assistant chief of staff
in charge of the War Plans Division,
one of the most coveted positions with
the War Department general staff. He
will succeed Brig. Gen. Joseph P. Tracy,
who has held that post for less than a
year, but is now assigned to service with
active troops as commandant of the
Coast Artillery School, Fort Monroe, Va.
Gen. Kilbourne, distinguished vet
eran of the Philippines, Boxer and
World Wars, Is now in command Of
harbor defenses at Manila. He will sail
from the Philippines on June "a and
take over his new duties September l..
Gen. Tracy's assignment is effective
August 81.
The newly appointed chief of the War
Plans Division is a Virginian. He was
awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor for conspicuous gallantry in ac-
ton at Laco Bridge, February 4. 1899
while serving with the Volunteer Signal
Corps; the Distinguished Service Cross
for extraordinary heroism on September
IL, 1918, and the Distinguished Service
Medal as chief Of staff of the 89th Divi-
sion during the World War.
The citation for the Medal Of Honor
reads:
Repaired Wire Under Fire.
within a range Of $50 yards of the
enemy and in the face Of rapid fire
climbed telegraph pole at the east end
Of the bridge and in full view of the
enemy coolly and carefully repaired
broken telegraph wire, thereby re-estab-
fishing telegraphic communication to
the front" He was a second lieutenant
In the Signal Corps with the expedition
to the Philippines, taking part in the
capture Of Manila and the occupation
of the city.
Transferred to the Infantry on Sep
tember 2, 1899, he next served in China
and took part in the relief of Peking
in 1900. He was transferred to the
Artillery in 1902 and became honor
graduate of the Artillery School in 1908.
Back again in the Orient, Gen. Kill
bourne took part in wiping out Hadjii
ArSad's band In Southern Sulu and in
the suppression of mutiny of the
1gorrotes In North Luzon. He returned
to the United States in 1911 for two
years of duty with the General Staff
and other posts and when the United
States entered the World War he was
chief Of staff of the seth Division.
Wounded by Trench Mortar.
Gen. Kilbourne was with Gen. Leon
ard Wood on an inspection trip of the
British, French and American Armies
in the front lines early in 1918 and
was wounded in the explosion of a
trench mortar He took part in all
the engagements of the 89th Division
and during the assault on the st. Mihiel
salient he won the Distinguished Serv-
ice Cross, exposing himself to artillery
and machine gun fire.
He was appointed br:gadier general
October /, 1918, and assigned to the
Sd Artillery Brigade with the famous
I'd Division, joining it in Luxembourg
after the armistice and completing the
march to the Rhine with his new COM
mand. He returned to the United States
In May, 1919, and was graduated from
the Army War College in Washington in
1920. He was on the faculty of the
War College until 1924, when placed in
command Of Boston Harbor Before
going to the Philippines he was execu-